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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. march — the month
  3. chest — of your body
  4. season — of the year
  5. prune — to trim
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. current — of water
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. chest — a box
  11. season — in sport
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. current — happening now
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. toast — bread
  16. chest — of your body
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. prune — to trim
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. current — electric
  22. march — music
  23. dip — to sink
  24. march — the month

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