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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. band — a music group
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pop — soda
  7. band — a ring
  8. pop — to visit
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. club — for golf
  15. stem — to come from
  16. club — for dancing
  17. pop — music
  18. club — a group

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