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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. court — for sport
  4. vault — a safe
  5. stem — to come from
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. press — to push
  8. rock — a stone
  9. content — the amount
  10. press — newspapers
  11. spell — letters
  12. court — of a king
  13. spell — a short time
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. band — a ring
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. spell — magic
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. press — a publisher
  21. court — of law
  22. content — happy
  23. rock — music
  24. stem — of a plant

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