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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. band — a ring
  5. field — for sport
  6. track — to keep track
  7. field — farmland
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pop — music
  14. track — a path
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pop — soda
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. band — a music group
  21. bear — the animal
  22. track — a song
  23. field — a subject
  24. row — a line

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