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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: pop · branch · bat · bay · jam · wake · rush · content

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pop — soda
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rush — hurry
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. pop — music
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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