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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. spring — a coil
  3. band — a ring
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. spring — of water
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. saw — the tool
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. spring — the season
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. field — farmland
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. saw — the tool
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. stock — shares
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. band — a music group
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stock — goods
  24. jam — in traffic

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