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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — final
  3. band — a ring
  4. bass — the fish
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. scale — in music
  7. last — finally
  8. rock — music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. band — a music group
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bass — low music
  22. branch — a division
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rock — a stone

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