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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: ball · rule · toast · firm · clip · band · wound · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wound — an injury
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rule — government
  7. firm — steady
  8. toast — bread
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. firm — a company
  13. band — a ring
  14. ball — a dance
  15. clip — a video
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. band — a music group
  19. firm — decided
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. toast — the most admired
  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