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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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 music group
  2. branch — a division
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. file — a document
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hand — help
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. firm — steady
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. file — a line of people
  16. band — a ring
  17. deal — to handle
  18. firm — a company
  19. file — a tool
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. firm — decided
  23. deal — an agreement
  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