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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. hand — in cards
  3. band — a music group
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. march — music
  9. kid — child
  10. march — the month
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. track — a song
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. track — to keep track
  15. march — the month
  16. fine — high quality
  17. hand — help
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. fine — all right
  22. kid — to tease
  23. band — a ring
  24. track — a path

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