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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rest — what's left
  4. court — for sport
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rest — a break
  8. club — a group
  9. rest — what's left
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wake — a trail
  14. court — of a king
  15. band — a music group
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. club — for golf
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. club — for dancing
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. tube — the underground
  22. court — of law
  23. tube — a container
  24. wake — before a funeral

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