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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. band — a ring
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. can — a tin
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. can — a tin
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. band — a music group
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bore — to drill
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cabinet — ministers

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