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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: branch · roll · band · pitcher · bear · game · bore · cap

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bear — the animal
  4. roll — a cake
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. roll — a list
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. band — a music group
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bore — to drill
  22. cap — a hat
  23. branch — a division
  24. bear — the animal

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