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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 120 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. foot — a measure
  6. row — a line
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. deal — to handle
  10. band — a ring
  11. firm — a company
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. prune — to trim
  16. band — a music group
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. row — to paddle
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. perch — the fish
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. net — for catching

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