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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. band — a music group
  3. field — farmland
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pop — soda
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. field — a subject
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bound — tied together
  18. field — for sport
  19. bound — certain
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. band — a ring
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bound — obliged

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