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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. file — a tool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. can — a tin
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. can — to be able to
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. file — a line of people
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — a permit
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. can — a tin
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. game — a match
  20. rock — a stone
  21. file — a document
  22. wake — a trail
  23. band — a ring
  24. rock — music

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