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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. band — a ring
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. board — to get on
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. content — the amount
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chair — a leader
  18. content — happy
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. board — a committee
  24. band — a rubber band

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