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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. dip — to sink
  3. band — a ring
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rest — what's left
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. ground — crushed
  9. clip — a video
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. season — of the year
  12. rest — what's left
  13. ground — a position
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rest — a break
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. season — in sport
  23. ground — the earth
  24. clip — to cut

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