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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. band — a ring
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — clothes
  6. bat — the animal
  7. band — a music group
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. field — a subject
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. branch — a division
  13. net — after costs
  14. vault — a safe
  15. suit — to fit
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. net — for catching
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. net — in sport

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