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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. rush — hurry
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — a group
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. craft — a skill
  9. land — to come down
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. band — a music group
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. band — a ring
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. land — a country
  18. club — for dancing
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. craft — boats
  22. prune — to trim
  23. land — ground
  24. craft — a handicraft

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