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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 120 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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. present — a gift
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. vault — a safe
  10. tube — the underground
  11. wound — an injury
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. present — there
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. band — a music group
  16. mark — a grade
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. present — the time now
  19. tube — a container
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. snap — to click
  24. mark — to pay attention

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