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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. shower — rain
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bass — low music
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bear — the animal
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. band — a ring
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bass — the fish
  16. lie — to recline
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. shower — to wash
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bear — the animal

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