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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. present — a gift
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. branch — a division
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bear — the animal
  12. present — there
  13. march — the month
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. march — the month
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. present — the time now
  20. march — music
  21. pass — a permit
  22. chip — to eat
  23. band — a music group
  24. branch — of a tree

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