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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 120 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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. band — a music group
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chip — for betting
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. firm — decided
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. perch — the fish
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. season — of the year
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chip — to eat
  19. band — a ring
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. branch — a division
  22. firm — a company
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. season — 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