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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. chest — a box
  4. branch — a division
  5. dip — to sink
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. band — a ring
  11. chest — of your body
  12. hand — help
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. mark — a grade
  19. track — a path
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. band — a music group
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. chest — of your body

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