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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. drill — the tool
  6. branch — a division
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. cap — a lid
  10. object — an aim
  11. cap — a hat
  12. drill — a practice
  13. kick — in football
  14. object — a thing
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. drill — army training
  18. band — a music group
  19. cap — of ice
  20. perch — the fish
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. perch — for a bird

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