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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. shower — rain
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. clip — for paper
  6. band — a ring
  7. rest — what's left
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. clip — a video
  13. rest — a break
  14. clip — to cut
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. deal — to handle
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. band — a music group
  21. branch — a division
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rest — what's left
  24. shower — to wash

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