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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. 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. can — to be able to
  2. wind — moving air
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cue — a signal
  5. staff — employees
  6. band — a ring
  7. file — a tool
  8. staff — employees
  9. cue — a hint
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pop — soda
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. can — a tin
  18. pop — music
  19. bore — to drill
  20. file — a document
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pop — to visit
  23. can — a tin
  24. 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