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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. key — the most important part
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. branch — a division
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. file — a document
  12. band — a ring
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. key — in music
  19. foot — a measure
  20. present — there
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. foot — part of the body

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