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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. band — a ring
  6. bear — the animal
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bear — the animal
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. branch — a division
  15. roll — a cake
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. tube — the underground
  18. roll — a list
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. tube — a container
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. band — a music group

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