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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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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: stick · bear · capital · toast · bulb · temple · branch · band

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. band — a ring
  5. bear — the animal
  6. band — a music group
  7. toast — bread
  8. capital — a city
  9. bear — the animal
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bulb — for light
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. branch — a division
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. capital — money
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. toast — the most admired

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