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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. lean — thin
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. band — a ring
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rule — government
  7. current — electric
  8. ball — a great time
  9. current — happening now
  10. band — a music group
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rule — a law
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. current — of water
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. content — happy
  22. branch — a division
  23. content — the amount
  24. temple — a place of worship

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