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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. chest — of your body
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. craft — boats
  6. roll — a list
  7. bear — the animal
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. band — a music group
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. craft — a skill
  14. chest — of your body
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chest — a box
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. roll — a cake
  23. toast — bread
  24. prune — to trim

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