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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rash — a series
  3. track — to keep track
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mate — a friend
  6. rash — hasty
  7. hand — help
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. band — a ring
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. band — a music group
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pop — soda
  16. mate — to breed
  17. track — a song
  18. branch — a division
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. hand — in cards
  21. track — a path
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pop — music

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