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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 116 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spring — a coil
  4. band — a ring
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. charge — in control
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. kid — child
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rock — music
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. spring — of water
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. spring — the season
  19. band — a music group
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rock — a stone

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