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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. club — for dancing
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. craft — a skill
  10. club — for golf
  11. craft — boats
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mate — a partner
  17. club — a group
  18. mate — to breed
  19. band — a ring
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wound — an injury
  23. band — a music group
  24. tear — from crying

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