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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. band — a music group
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wound — an injury
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pop — soda
  8. wound — an injury
  9. band — a ring
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pop — to visit
  13. capital — a city
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. bank — for money
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pop — music
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. capital — money
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. track — a song
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bank — for money

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