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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cue — a hint
  5. band — a ring
  6. mark — a grade
  7. cell — in biology
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stock — goods
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cue — for pool
  14. stock — shares
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cell — a phone
  17. band — a music group
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. branch — a division
  23. wake — a trail
  24. band — a rubber band

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