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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bound — certain
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. branch — a division
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. band — a music group
  18. toast — bread
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bear — the animal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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