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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. land — a country
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cap — a hat
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. band — a music group
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. land — ground
  13. drill — a practice
  14. land — to come down
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cap — of ice
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. drill — army training
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wake — a trail
  24. band — a ring

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