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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bank — for money
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bank — for money
  14. pop — to visit
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. drill — the tool
  17. clip — to cut
  18. band — a music group
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. drill — army training
  21. bank — of a river
  22. drill — a practice
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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