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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. swing — to play on
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. cell — a phone
  6. staff — employees
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. swing — in golf
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. staff — employees
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. foot — a measure
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. band — a music group
  20. swing — music
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cell — in biology
  24. trunk — of a tree

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