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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bore — to tire
  3. chip — for betting
  4. prune — to trim
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. chip — to eat
  11. court — for sport
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. spring — of water
  14. band — a music group
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bore — to drill
  17. court — of law
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. object — to protest
  22. court — of a king
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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