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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. file — a tool
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. roll — a list
  7. drill — army training
  8. file — a line of people
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. drill — the tool
  11. branch — a division
  12. band — a ring
  13. bound — obliged
  14. drill — a practice
  15. band — a music group
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. bound — certain
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. file — a document
  24. fan — a supporter

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