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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fine — all right
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. cold — an illness
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lean — thin
  20. fine — high quality
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. rule — government
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cold — not warm

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