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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. mate — to breed
  4. cue — for pool
  5. firm — a company
  6. pit — in a race
  7. branch — a division
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. firm — decided
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cue — a hint
  23. firm — steady
  24. wound — an injury

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