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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bear — the animal
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. bear — the animal
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. plane — a tool
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wound — an injury
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. ball — a dance
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. march — the month
  18. ball — a great time
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wound — an injury

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