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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rock — a stone
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. track — a path
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. object — a thing
  11. rock — music
  12. squash — the sport
  13. perch — the fish
  14. band — a music group
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. object — an aim
  18. hand — help
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. squash — to crush
  21. object — to protest
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. hand — in cards

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