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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. tear — to rip
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. game — a match
  5. dip — to sink
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. swing — in golf
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. swing — music
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. band — a ring
  15. craft — a skill
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. tear — from crying
  20. game — wild animals
  21. swing — to play on
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. craft — boats

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