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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. band — a music group
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. cap — a hat
  7. band — a ring
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. club — for golf
  11. cap — of ice
  12. prune — to trim
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cap — a lid
  15. club — a group
  16. tear — to rip
  17. club — for dancing
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. prune — to trim
  21. tear — from crying
  22. chest — a box
  23. tube — a container
  24. safe — a strongbox

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