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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 116 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. swing — to play on
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. band — a music group
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. charge — a price
  9. branch — a division
  10. swing — music
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. row — a line
  13. charge — electricity
  14. kick — in football
  15. dip — to sink
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. swing — in golf
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. charge — in control
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. row — to paddle

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