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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 116 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stand — to bear
  3. scale — in music
  4. drill — a practice
  5. band — a ring
  6. scale — size or range
  7. content — the amount
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. drill — army training
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. lie — to recline
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. content — happy
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. branch — a division
  24. wake — a trail

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