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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hand — help
  6. club — for golf
  7. band — a ring
  8. bank — of a river
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. perch — the fish
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. capital — a city
  15. pit — a hole
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. bank — for money
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bank — for money
  22. band — a music group
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. capital — money

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