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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bear — the animal
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. craft — boats
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. cold — an illness
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. branch — a division
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. craft — a skill
  17. band — a ring
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. band — a music group
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. branch — of a tree

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