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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mug — a face
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. spring — of water
  9. band — a ring
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mug — to rob
  13. board — a committee
  14. wake — a trail
  15. board — to get on
  16. rash — hasty
  17. band — a music group
  18. plane — a tool
  19. spring — the season
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rash — a series
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bass — low music

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