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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. branch — a division
  2. drill — the tool
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. drill — army training
  5. rest — a break
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rash — hasty
  9. band — a music group
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. band — a ring
  16. drill — a practice
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rash — a series
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rash — on the skin
  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