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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. roll — a cake
  3. band — a ring
  4. club — a group
  5. bank — of a river
  6. face — to confront
  7. cold — not warm
  8. roll — a list
  9. band — a music group
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bank — for money
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. club — for golf
  17. bank — for money
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rush — a thrill

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