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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. roll — a cake
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. band — a ring
  7. charge — in control
  8. fall — to drop
  9. object — a thing
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. object — to protest
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. charge — electricity
  18. band — a music group
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. charge — a price
  21. object — an aim
  22. fall — the season
  23. roll — a list
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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