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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. band — a ring
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. fine — all right
  7. pop — music
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lean — to bend
  15. band — a music group
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pop — soda
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. lean — thin
  20. branch — a division
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fine — high quality
  24. cabinet — ministers

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