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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. plane — a tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. ground — crushed
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. tube — the underground
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. branch — a division

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