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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. track — to keep track
  8. tube — the underground
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. lean — thin
  16. track — a song
  17. foot — a measure
  18. branch — a division
  19. band — a music group
  20. lean — to bend
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. track — a path
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. tube — a container

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