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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. band — a ring
  3. current — happening now
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pop — soda
  6. clip — a video
  7. rash — a series
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pop — music
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. current — electric
  14. rash — hasty
  15. current — of water
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. band — a music group
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. pop — to visit
  23. branch — a division
  24. band — a rubber band

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