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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. march — music
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. march — the month
  9. mate — a partner
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. band — a music group
  12. branch — a division
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mate — a friend
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. band — a ring
  24. mate — to breed

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