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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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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. can — to be able to
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. chest — a box
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. can — a tin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. row — to paddle
  15. band — a music group
  16. row — a line
  17. can — a tin
  18. file — a tool

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