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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: bass · last · fall · date · branch · hand · drill · bay

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. hand — in cards
  4. branch — a division
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bass — low music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. last — to go on
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. last — finally
  11. date — the fruit
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. drill — a practice
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. fall — the season
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. last — final
  20. hand — help
  21. fall — to drop
  22. drill — army training
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. date — on the calendar

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