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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. can — to be able to
  5. band — a ring
  6. cell — a phone
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. clip — for paper
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. branch — a division
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. can — a tin
  14. clip — to cut
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. can — a tin
  17. clip — a video
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. last — to go on
  23. stand — to bear
  24. band — a music group

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