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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. track — a path
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. land — a country
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. land — ground
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. cap — a lid
  9. lean — thin
  10. band — a music group
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. track — a song
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cap — of ice
  18. track — to keep track
  19. land — to come down
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. lean — to bend
  23. branch — a division
  24. band — a ring

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