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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. clip — for paper
  3. shower — to wash
  4. season — of the year
  5. band — a ring
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. track — a path
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. track — to keep track
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. season — in sport
  20. band — a music group
  21. clip — a video
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. track — a song
  24. shower — rain

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