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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bulb — for light
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. capital — a city
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. capital — money
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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