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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. fall — to drop
  5. present — a gift
  6. spring — the season
  7. fall — the season
  8. band — a ring
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spring — of water
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. present — there
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mug — a face
  16. pit — a hole
  17. present — the time now
  18. mug — a cup
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pit — in a race
  24. mug — to rob

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