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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. shower — to wash
  3. tube — the underground
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bank — for money
  7. band — a ring
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bank — for money
  11. band — a music group
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. ground — a position
  14. shower — rain
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — a container
  17. ground — crushed
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rock — music
  23. bank — of a river
  24. rash — a series

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