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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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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. key — the most important part
  10. lean — thin
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. lean — to bend
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. key — in music
  16. mate — a friend
  17. key — for a lock
  18. band — a music 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