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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. suit — in cards
  5. last — to go on
  6. pass — a permit
  7. snap — to click
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. last — finally
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. last — final
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. saw — the tool
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. band — a music group
  20. suit — to fit
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. saw — the tool
  23. suit — clothes
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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