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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. race — the arms race
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. spring — of water
  6. bank — of a river
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mate — to breed
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — a contest
  12. bank — for money
  13. content — happy
  14. mate — a friend
  15. content — the amount
  16. band — a music group
  17. tube — the underground
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bank — for money
  20. spring — the season
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mate — a partner

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