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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fall — the season
  6. club — for golf
  7. season — in sport
  8. club — a group
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. band — a music group
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mate — a partner
  19. season — of the year
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — of water
  23. mine — for digging
  24. spring — a coil

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