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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: row · content · band · branch · pitcher · racket · season · rule

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — a division
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. season — in sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. season — of the year
  13. rule — government
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. content — happy
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rule — a law
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. row — a line

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