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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: bass · wave · shower · net · pass · club · mate · branch

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mate — to breed
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. shower — rain
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. club — a group
  11. branch — a division
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. net — for catching
  14. club — for golf
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pass — a permit
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. net — after costs
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bass — low music
  22. mate — a friend
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. net — in sport

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