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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. band — a ring
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cell — in biology
  5. file — a line of people
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cell — a phone
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tube — a container
  16. file — a document
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. dip — to sink
  20. file — a tool
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. tube — the underground
  23. band — a music group
  24. cell — in a prison

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