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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. object — an aim
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ball — a dance
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. branch — a division
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fine — all right
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — the season
  18. band — a music group
  19. object — to protest
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spring — of water
  22. object — a thing
  23. fine — high quality
  24. ball — a great time

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