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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. band — a ring
  4. club — for golf
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. branch — a division
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. scale — size or range
  12. pass — a permit
  13. band — a music group
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. club — a group
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. club — for dancing
  19. press — a publisher
  20. lie — to recline
  21. scale — in music
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. scale — for weighing

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