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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. last — to go on
  5. prune — to trim
  6. last — final
  7. current — of water
  8. game — wild animals
  9. current — electric
  10. branch — a division
  11. current — happening now
  12. season — in sport
  13. last — finally
  14. band — a ring
  15. season — of the year
  16. band — a music group
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. stand — to bear
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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