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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. season — of the year
  3. hand — in cards
  4. band — a ring
  5. season — in sport
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bound — obliged
  8. staff — employees
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stock — shares
  11. staff — a stick
  12. branch — a division
  13. stock — goods
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. staff — employees
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. band — a rubber band

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