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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. branch — of a bank
  2. mate — a partner
  3. band — a music group
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. stem — to come from
  6. last — finally
  7. band — a ring
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. last — to go on
  11. mate — a friend
  12. roll — a list
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. branch — a division
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. rush — hurry
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mate — to breed
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. roll — a cake
  22. last — final
  23. stem — of a plant
  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