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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. season — in sport
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. band — a music group
  6. charge — a price
  7. row — a line
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. season — of the year
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bound — certain
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. charge — electricity
  15. branch — a division
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. row — to paddle
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. charge — in control
  21. bound — tied together
  22. content — the amount
  23. band — a ring
  24. bound — obliged

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