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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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 music group
  3. shower — to wash
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. branch — a division
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. tube — the underground
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. perch — the fish
  16. band — a ring
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. lie — to recline
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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