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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. band — a music group
  9. mark — a grade
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mark — a trace
  16. staff — a stick
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. staff — employees
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. staff — employees
  24. rush — to hurry

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