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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. band — a ring
  3. firm — a company
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. band — a music group
  10. capital — money
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. chest — of your body
  16. firm — steady
  17. chest — a box
  18. firm — decided
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. capital — a city
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. ruler — a monarch

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