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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. band — a music group
  3. staff — a stick
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. staff — employees
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. tube — the underground
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. last — to go on
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stock — shares
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. staff — employees
  17. last — final
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. stock — goods
  22. tube — a container
  23. branch — a division
  24. band — a ring

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