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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. spell — magic
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. mark — a trace
  9. chair — a leader
  10. band — a music group
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. saw — the tool
  15. branch — a division
  16. bank — of a river
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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