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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · branch · bass · club · chest · pass · mate · swing

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bass — the fish
  5. club — for golf
  6. bass — low music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. chest — of your body
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. last — to go on
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. last — final
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. branch — a division
  17. chest — of your body
  18. last — finally
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. chest — a box
  22. club — a group
  23. mate — a partner
  24. club — for dancing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com