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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · game · branch · tear · rash · band · spell · wake

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. branch — a division
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. tear — from crying
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. rash — a series
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. spell — magic
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. band — a ring
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. spell — letters
  16. tear — to rip
  17. band — a music group
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. tear — from crying
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. toast — bread
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rash — hasty

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