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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. band — a music group
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. band — a ring
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. content — happy
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. content — the amount
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rush — hurry
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. branch — a division
  23. track — a path
  24. content — videos and posts

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