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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bound — obliged
  4. branch — a division
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stem — to come from
  7. firm — decided
  8. bound — tied together
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bound — certain
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. firm — a company
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. band — a music group
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. firm — steady

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