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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. squash — the sport
  3. branch — a division
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. band — a ring
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. snap — to click
  9. plane — a tool
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. foot — a measure
  15. stock — goods
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. squash — to crush
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. stock — shares

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