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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: band · toast · bore · safe · fall · branch · clip · squash

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. squash — the sport
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. band — a music group
  5. toast — bread
  6. fall — the season
  7. bore — to tire
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. clip — to cut
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fall — to drop
  18. clip — for paper
  19. branch — a division
  20. clip — a video
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. squash — to crush
  24. safe — a strongbox

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