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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pop — soda
  3. spring — the season
  4. band — a ring
  5. current — happening now
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. band — a music group
  8. pop — music
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pop — to visit
  12. vault — a safe
  13. season — in sport
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spring — of water
  19. current — electric
  20. chip — to eat
  21. current — of water
  22. season — of the year
  23. date — the fruit
  24. chip — for betting

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