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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bass — low music
  5. band — a ring
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. track — a path
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bass — the fish
  11. tube — a container
  12. kick — in football
  13. spring — the season
  14. band — a music group
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. spring — of water
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. swing — music

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