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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 120 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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. net — for catching
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. net — after costs
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. band — a ring
  10. bulb — for light
  11. season — in sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. season — of the year
  16. drill — army training
  17. wake — a trail
  18. drill — a practice
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. net — in sport
  23. perch — the fish
  24. band — a music group

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