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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. face — to confront
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mug — to rob
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. mug — a cup
  10. band — a music group
  11. branch — a division
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. content — the amount
  14. rule — government
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mug — a face
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rule — a law
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. face — to point toward
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. content — happy
  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