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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rash — hasty
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. object — a thing
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — a measure
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. object — to protest
  15. band — a music group
  16. mark — a trace
  17. object — an aim
  18. mark — a grade
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rash — a series

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