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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 120 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: fall · bass · mug · calf · season · kid · tube · branch

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bass — low music
  3. mug — a face
  4. tube — a container
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. tube — the underground
  7. season — in sport
  8. fall — the season
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kid — child
  23. bass — the fish
  24. kid — to tease

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