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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. branch — a division
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. object — a thing
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — an aim
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. band — a ring
  24. fork — in a road

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