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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  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. band — a ring
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. branch — a division
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pass — a permit
  10. foot — a measure
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. band — a music group
  13. bass — the fish
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bass — low music
  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