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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. can — a tin
  3. branch — a division
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. craft — a skill
  7. band — a ring
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. craft — boats
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. can — to be able to
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. can — a tin
  18. pound — a weight
  19. band — a music group
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. rock — a stone
  22. fall — the season
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pass — to spend time

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