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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: bat · branch · net · tube · rest · spell · pitcher · bass

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bass — low music
  4. net — after costs
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. branch — a division
  10. rest — a break
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. net — for catching
  14. spell — letters
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  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