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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bear — the animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. band — a ring
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. face — to confront
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. face — to point toward
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rule — government
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. band — a music group
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rule — a law
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bear — the animal
  21. date — the fruit
  22. saw — the tool
  23. perch — the fish
  24. rule — to rule out

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