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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. pop — to visit
  6. kid — child
  7. pound — a weight
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. kid — to tease
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. craft — a skill
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wake — a trail
  20. lie — to recline
  21. craft — boats
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pop — soda
  24. band — a music group

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