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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bass — the fish
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. band — a ring
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. branch — a division
  13. bass — low music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. band — a music group
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. hand — in cards
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. hand — help
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. snap — to click
  24. safe — out of danger

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