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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. craft — boats
  5. bank — for money
  6. content — happy
  7. band — a music group
  8. branch — a division
  9. court — of law
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lean — to bend
  15. court — of a king
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bank — for money
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. craft — a skill
  21. court — for sport
  22. bank — of a river
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. band — a ring

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