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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. can — to be able to
  4. net — for catching
  5. current — electric
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. spring — the season
  8. current — of water
  9. can — a tin
  10. tube — the underground
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stem — to come from
  13. tube — a container
  14. lie — to recline
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. net — after costs
  17. spring — of water
  18. band — a ring
  19. current — happening now
  20. can — a tin
  21. net — in sport
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. spring — a coil
  24. lie — an untruth

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