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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. key — in music
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bound — tied together
  5. game — a match
  6. band — a music group
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. object — an aim
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bound — obliged
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. key — for a lock
  15. object — to protest
  16. cap — a hat
  17. game — wild animals
  18. object — a thing
  19. cap — a lid
  20. key — the most important part
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bound — certain

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