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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.

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: branch · leaves · band · field · can · bat · chair · fork

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. chair — a leader
  5. can — to be able to
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. field — a subject
  10. can — a tin
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. band — a music group
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. branch — a division
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. can — a tin
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. field — for sport
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. field — farmland
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fork — in a road

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