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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. band — a ring
  3. rock — a stone
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. march — the month
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bat — the animal
  8. march — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. key — in music
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. key — the most important part
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rock — music
  17. band — a music group
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. branch — a division
  22. stem — to come from
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stem — a stem cell

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