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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. band — a ring
  6. shower — rain
  7. craft — boats
  8. drill — army training
  9. craft — a skill
  10. rest — a break
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bound — tied together
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bound — certain
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bulb — for light
  19. shower — to wash
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bulb — for light
  24. drill — the tool

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