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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. spell — magic
  7. degree — from a university
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bulb — for light
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. band — a music group
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ruler — for measuring

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