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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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. spring — of water
  4. bound — obliged
  5. club — for dancing
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bound — tied together
  10. clip — to cut
  11. spring — the season
  12. clip — a video
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. clip — for paper
  17. club — a group
  18. bound — certain
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. date — the fruit
  22. club — for golf
  23. toast — bread
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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