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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. tear — from crying
  3. file — a document
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. branch — a division
  6. rest — a break
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. tear — to rip
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wake — a trail
  18. tear — from crying
  19. file — a tool
  20. band — a ring
  21. file — a line of people
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. branch — of a bank

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