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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. field — farmland
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. staff — employees
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. field — a subject
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. band — a ring
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. field — for sport
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. band — a music group
  21. staff — a stick
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. staff — employees
  24. bulb — for light

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