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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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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 · race · bay · band · stick · court · rock · track

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rock — music
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. rock — a stone
  6. track — a path
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. court — for sport
  10. track — a song
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. race — the arms race
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. branch — a division
  16. court — of law
  17. band — a ring
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. court — of a king
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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