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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. file — a document
  3. bank — for money
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. band — a music group
  6. bank — for money
  7. can — to be able to
  8. spell — magic
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. spell — a short time
  13. branch — a division
  14. bank — of a river
  15. can — a tin
  16. band — a ring
  17. spell — letters
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. mine — for digging
  21. can — a tin
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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