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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. club — for dancing
  5. current — electric
  6. squash — the sport
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. current — happening now
  9. squash — to crush
  10. current — of water
  11. club — a group
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. season — of the year
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. club — for golf
  24. season — in sport

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