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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in biology
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. sharp — clever
  9. band — a ring
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. band — a music group
  12. spell — letters
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. snap — to click
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stand — to bear
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. prune — to trim

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