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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: wound · band · ruler · fine · ground · branch · wave · roll

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fine — all right
  10. band — a music group
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wound — an injury
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. wound — an injury
  16. roll — a list
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. band — a ring
  21. ground — a position
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. band — a rubber band

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