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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: wind · band · season · branch · race · can · pop · scale

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. can — a tin
  3. scale — size or range
  4. can — to be able to
  5. band — a music group
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — a contest
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. band — a ring
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pop — music
  15. season — of the year
  16. pop — to visit
  17. season — in sport
  18. branch — a division
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. can — a tin
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pop — soda

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