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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. net — after costs
  5. swing — music
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. net — in sport
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. net — for catching
  11. wake — a trail
  12. foot — a measure
  13. band — a music group
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. game — a match
  16. swing — to play on
  17. band — a ring
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. foot — the bottom

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