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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. branch — a division
  3. band — a ring
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. deal — to handle
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. content — the amount
  11. ground — a position
  12. rash — a series
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rash — hasty
  19. ground — crushed
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. content — happy
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. squash — to crush

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