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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. band — a music group
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. chip — for betting
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. file — a line of people
  11. file — a document
  12. chip — to eat
  13. band — a ring
  14. branch — a division
  15. file — a tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pass — a permit
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. pass — to succeed

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