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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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 rubber band
  2. mine — for digging
  3. chip — to eat
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. branch — a division
  7. bore — to tire
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. chip — for betting
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. band — a music group
  16. snap — to click
  17. band — a ring
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mine — an explosive
  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