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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. band — a ring
  3. prune — to trim
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. last — final
  9. present — the time now
  10. last — finally
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. band — a music group
  13. last — to go on
  14. board — to get on
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. board — a committee
  19. present — there
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. prune — to trim

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