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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. band — a ring
  3. tube — a container
  4. branch — a division
  5. cold — not warm
  6. band — a music group
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pop — music
  9. pass — a permit
  10. tube — the underground
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — to visit
  15. firm — steady
  16. bank — of a river
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. firm — decided
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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