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

Word bank: drill · deal · wind · branch · band · mouse · stem · press

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. deal — to handle
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. band — a ring
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wind — moving air
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. drill — army training
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. drill — the tool
  21. press — to push
  22. wind — moving air
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. press — newspapers

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