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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: cold · cue · band · safe · branch · mark · roll · bulb

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. branch — a division
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cold — an illness
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cue — for pool
  11. roll — a cake
  12. cue — a hint
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bulb — for light
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bulb — for light
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. roll — a list
  20. band — a ring
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. cue — a signal

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