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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bat — the animal
  6. band — a music group
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. net — after costs
  9. band — a ring
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. branch — a division
  12. net — for catching
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. net — in sport
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. charge — in control
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pound — a weight

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