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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 116 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. key — for a lock
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bound — tied together
  13. content — the amount
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. band — a ring
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bound — certain
  20. content — happy
  21. scale — in music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bound — obliged
  24. band — a music group

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