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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 120 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: band · bank · wake · branch · drill · cap · clip · bowl

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  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. band — a music group
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. clip — to cut
  6. drill — army training
  7. band — a ring
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. clip — a video
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cap — a hat
  15. drill — the tool
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. drill — a practice
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bank — of a river
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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