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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 120 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. branch — a division
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. field — for sport
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. field — a subject
  9. staff — employees
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. ball — a great time
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ball — a dance
  16. staff — a stick
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — farmland
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. staff — employees
  23. kick — in football
  24. fan — a supporter

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