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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. rest — what's left
  3. band — a music group
  4. rest — a break
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mine — for digging
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. band — a ring
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. tear — from crying
  15. branch — a division
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. track — a path
  19. wake — a trail
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. branch — of a bank

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