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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: clip · rock · branch · can · fan · cap · fine · band

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cap — of ice
  4. band — a music group
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. can — a tin
  8. fine — high quality
  9. branch — a division
  10. clip — to cut
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rock — music
  13. clip — a video
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cap — a lid
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cap — a hat
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. can — a tin
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. clip — for paper

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