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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. spring — of water
  3. race — humankind
  4. fork — in a road
  5. rash — hasty
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. race — the arms race
  8. band — a music group
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. rash — a series
  16. shower — rain
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. spring — the season
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. race — a contest
  24. pitcher — a jug

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