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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. press — newspapers
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. vault — a safe
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. track — a song
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. bore — to tire
  10. press — to push
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bore — to drill
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rest — a break
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. rest — what's left
  21. band — a music group
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rest — what's left
  24. press — a publisher

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