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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. band — a music group
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mate — a friend
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cue — a signal
  8. branch — a division
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. band — a ring
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wound — an injury
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mate — to breed
  23. snap — to click
  24. bowl — a football final

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