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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. kid — to tease
  7. band — a ring
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. band — a music group
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. kid — child
  16. mine — for digging
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cell — a phone
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. branch — a division
  24. bear — the animal

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