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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. rash — hasty
  3. band — a ring
  4. bound — tied together
  5. hand — in cards
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. hand — help
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — decided
  17. roll — a list
  18. roll — a cake
  19. branch — a division
  20. bound — obliged
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a music group
  23. bound — certain
  24. hand — part of the body

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