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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. band — a ring
  3. branch — a division
  4. mate — a partner
  5. tube — the underground
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mate — to breed
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rash — hasty
  15. band — a music group
  16. lean — thin
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rash — a series
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. band — a rubber band

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