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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. branch — a division
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. band — a ring
  7. rule — government
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hand — help
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rule — a law
  24. hand — in cards

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