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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 · foot · shower · hand · rock · squash · saw

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. band — a music group
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. shower — rain
  10. branch — a division
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. shower — to wash
  13. foot — a measure
  14. squash — the sport
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. saw — the tool
  19. squash — to crush
  20. saw — the tool
  21. band — a ring
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. foot — the bottom

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