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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bank — for money
  5. game — a match
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. band — a ring
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. game — wild animals
  12. squash — the sport
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pop — music
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. squash — to crush
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pop — soda
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bulb — for light

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