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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pop — to visit
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pop — music
  7. face — part of the head
  8. swing — in golf
  9. face — to confront
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. tear — from crying
  12. band — a ring
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pop — soda
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. face — to point toward
  18. tear — to rip
  19. kick — in football
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. snap — to click
  22. swing — music
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. tear — from crying

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