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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. face — to point toward
  4. game — wild animals
  5. face — part of the head
  6. band — a ring
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. season — in sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. face — to confront
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. branch — a division
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. season — of the year
  20. game — a match
  21. tear — to rip
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. nail — for a hammer

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