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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 120 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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. game — wild animals
  7. band — a music group
  8. fall — the season
  9. can — a tin
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. game — a match
  12. can — a tin
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. branch — a division
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. court — of law
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. court — for sport
  22. can — to be able to
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. court — of a king

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