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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. branch — a division
  4. pop — soda
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pop — to visit
  7. hand — in cards
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. club — for golf
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. rock — music
  16. club — a group
  17. field — for sport
  18. hand — help
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. pop — music
  24. band — a ring

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