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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. ground — crushed
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. ground — a position
  14. spell — magic
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ground — the earth
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. lie — an untruth

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