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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. court — of law
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. branch — a division
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wake — a trail
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. mark — a trace
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mark — a grade
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. court — for sport
  16. row — a line
  17. mug — a cup
  18. court — of a king
  19. band — a music group
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. band — a ring
  24. mug — a face

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