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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · file · band · pitcher · bark · branch · swing · mine

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. branch — a division
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. file — a line of people
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pit — a hole
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. file — a document
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pit — in a race
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. file — a tool
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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