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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. club — for golf
  3. band — a ring
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. current — of water
  9. club — for dancing
  10. branch — a division
  11. band — a music group
  12. current — happening now
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. current — electric
  17. club — a group
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wound — an injury
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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