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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mate — a partner
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. object — an aim
  13. branch — a division
  14. track — to keep track
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. spring — the season
  17. object — to protest
  18. mate — a friend
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. object — a thing
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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