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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. shower — to wash
  3. branch — a division
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. suit — clothes
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. suit — in cards
  12. rest — what's left
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rest — what's left
  16. shower — rain
  17. band — a ring
  18. cap — a lid
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cap — of ice
  21. band — a music group
  22. suit — to fit
  23. rest — a break
  24. branch — of a tree

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