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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. row — a line
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. band — a ring
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. ground — a position
  11. wind — moving air
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. band — a music group
  15. pitch — completely
  16. ground — crushed
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. leaves — lets stay

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