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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. club — for golf
  3. bank — of a river
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. present — there
  6. spring — the season
  7. row — a line
  8. bank — for money
  9. spring — a coil
  10. hand — in cards
  11. spring — of water
  12. bank — for money
  13. club — for dancing
  14. shower — rain
  15. present — a gift
  16. club — a group
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. band — a music group
  19. row — to paddle
  20. hand — help
  21. band — a ring
  22. present — the time now
  23. shower — to wash
  24. row — a quarrel

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