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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. band — a music group
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mark — a grade
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. branch — a division
  13. mark — a trace
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rash — hasty
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rash — a series
  18. band — a ring

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