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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. shower — to wash
  3. dip — to sink
  4. track — a song
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bear — the animal
  8. band — a music group
  9. mine — for digging
  10. shower — rain
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. track — to keep track
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rock — a stone
  20. branch — a division
  21. band — a ring
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. track — a path
  24. bear — the animal

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