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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bear — the animal
  7. spring — of water
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. clip — to cut
  13. spring — a coil
  14. ball — a dance
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. clip — a video
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a ring
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spring — the season
  22. lie — to recline
  23. clip — for paper
  24. saw — the tool

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