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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. band — a ring
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pop — soda
  6. race — the arms race
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wind — moving air
  10. race — a contest
  11. band — a music group
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. wind — moving air
  15. deal — to handle
  16. fall — the season
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. race — humankind

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