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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. current — happening now
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lean — thin
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. branch — a division
  12. band — a ring
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mine — for digging
  15. current — of water
  16. band — a music group
  17. lean — to bend
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. current — electric
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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