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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. last — to go on
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. band — a music group
  7. last — finally
  8. pitch — completely
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. club — a group
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. branch — a division
  17. last — final
  18. chair — a leader
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — for golf
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. cell — a phone

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