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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. band — a ring
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. land — to come down
  14. track — a path
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. land — a country
  19. tear — from crying
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. land — ground
  24. band — a music group

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