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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. spell — a short time
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. spell — letters
  6. mate — a friend
  7. band — a music group
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. spell — magic
  14. kid — child
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. fork — in a road
  18. deal — to handle
  19. land — a country
  20. mate — a partner
  21. kid — to tease
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. fork — to eat with

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