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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. branch — a division
  5. march — music
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. band — a music group
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — an aim
  12. capital — money
  13. pit — a hole
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. capital — a city
  16. march — the month
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. march — the month
  20. object — a thing
  21. band — a ring
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. game — a match
  24. foot — a measure

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