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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. spring — of water
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tear — from crying
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — to fit
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. hand — in cards
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. tear — to rip
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. band — a ring
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spring — the season
  20. suit — in cards
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. hand — help
  24. trunk — of a car

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