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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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. cabinet — ministers
  4. rash — a series
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. suit — to fit
  7. pound — a weight
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rest — what's left
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. suit — clothes
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. suit — in cards
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. clip — a video

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