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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. saw — the tool
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. club — for golf
  9. can — a tin
  10. shower — rain
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. shower — to wash
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pound — a weight
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — a group
  20. band — a music group
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. plane — a tool
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. band — a ring

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