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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pop — music
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pop — to visit
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spell — letters
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. file — a tool
  13. band — a music group
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. file — a document
  19. spell — a short time
  20. plane — a tool
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pop — soda
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. spell — magic

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