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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. saw — the tool
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. court — for sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. court — of law
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cell — a phone
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. band — a music group
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mark — a trace
  18. band — a ring
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. court — of a king
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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