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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. pop — to visit
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. field — farmland
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. board — to get on
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. deal — to handle
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pop — music
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. board — a committee
  24. pop — soda

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