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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: pop · march · pitcher · branch · rule · sharp · shower · bass

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. rule — a law
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pop — music
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. march — the month
  13. bass — low music
  14. march — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bass — the fish
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. march — the month
  24. rule — government

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