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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. band — a music group
  6. bulb — for light
  7. band — a ring
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mug — a cup
  19. hand — help
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pitch — completely

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