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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. firm — steady
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fine — high quality
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. firm — a company
  10. rash — hasty
  11. clip — a video
  12. spring — the season
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rash — a series
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. band — a ring
  17. spring — a coil
  18. firm — decided
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. spring — of water
  22. band — a music group
  23. fine — all right
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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