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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 120 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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. rush — hurry
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. band — a ring
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wake — a trail
  17. band — a music group
  18. craft — boats
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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