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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. band — a ring
  4. face — part of the head
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. staff — a stick
  8. roll — a cake
  9. staff — employees
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. face — to confront
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. face — to point toward
  16. staff — employees
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. band — a music group
  24. jam — a tight spot

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