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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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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: chair · band · bass · lie · bore · can · club · branch

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. band — a ring
  5. club — for dancing
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bass — the fish
  10. branch — a division
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. club — a group
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bore — to drill
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bass — low music
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bore — to tire
  22. lie — to recline
  23. club — for golf
  24. can — a tin

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