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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 116 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. band — a music group
  4. cap — a hat
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. snap — to click
  7. band — a ring
  8. charge — electricity
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. charge — in control
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. charge — a price
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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