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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mark — a trace
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. vault — a safe
  11. track — to keep track
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mine — for digging
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. tear — from crying
  17. band — a music group
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mark — a grade
  20. dip — to sink
  21. tear — to rip
  22. band — a ring
  23. tear — from crying
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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