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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. band — a ring
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pound — a weight
  18. branch — a division
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. fall — the season
  22. mate — a partner
  23. band — a music group
  24. scale — for weighing

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