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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — decided
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cold — not warm
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a ring
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. band — a music group
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cold — an illness
  17. can — a tin
  18. bass — low music
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. firm — steady
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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