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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. branch — a division
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. board — a committee
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bear — the animal
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. key — the most important part
  16. spring — a coil
  17. key — in music
  18. spring — the season
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. key — for a lock
  21. board — to get on
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. spring — of water

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