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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. band — a ring
  3. stem — to come from
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. branch — a division
  6. hand — in cards
  7. craft — a skill
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. club — for golf
  10. land — to come down
  11. band — a music group
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. land — ground
  16. craft — boats
  17. hand — help
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. club — for dancing
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. club — a group
  23. land — a country
  24. branch — of a tree

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