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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. spell — letters
  3. bank — for money
  4. present — a gift
  5. bank — of a river
  6. board — a committee
  7. bank — for money
  8. board — to get on
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. hand — help
  11. band — a ring
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. band — a music group
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. key — in music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. spell — magic
  21. hand — in cards
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — for a lock
  24. spell — a short time

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