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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 116 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. craft — boats
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rush — hurry
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wound — an injury
  16. craft — a skill
  17. fall — to drop
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fall — the season
  20. chip — for betting
  21. band — a music group
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. track — to keep track
  24. chip — to eat

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