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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 120 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. craft — a skill
  3. march — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. craft — boats
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bear — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pop — to visit
  23. march — the month
  24. trunk — of a car

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