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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ball — a dance
  4. court — for sport
  5. branch — a division
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rash — hasty
  10. band — a music group
  11. rash — a series
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pound — a weight
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pound — for dogs

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