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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. rest — what's left
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rest — what's left
  5. band — a music group
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. shower — to wash
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rest — a break
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. club — for golf
  14. dip — to sink
  15. prune — to trim
  16. roll — a list
  17. club — for dancing
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. shower — rain
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. band — a ring
  24. club — a group

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