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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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. plane — a tool
  3. band — a music group
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cell — in biology
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. shower — to wash
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cell — a phone
  19. game — a match
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. band — a ring
  22. present — the time now
  23. game — wild animals
  24. leaves — to go away

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