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

Word bank: band · branch · season · kick · nail · rest · roll · wind

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. band — a ring
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. roll — a list
  6. band — a music group
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. roll — a cake
  13. branch — a division
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. wind — moving air
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rest — what's left
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — with a leg

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