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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. scale — size or range
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. tube — the underground
  7. scale — in music
  8. mate — a friend
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bulb — for light
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. current — of water
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. capital — money
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tube — a container
  20. current — electric
  21. mate — to breed
  22. current — happening now
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. tube — in a tire

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