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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rule — a law
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. court — of law
  8. branch — a division
  9. band — a ring
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. chip — for betting
  12. rule — government
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. court — of a king
  18. bat — the animal
  19. court — for sport
  20. chip — to eat
  21. band — a music group
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. ruler — for measuring

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