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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. race — humankind
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. band — a ring
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. race — a contest
  14. current — of water
  15. race — the arms race
  16. band — a music group
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. current — happening now
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. current — electric
  24. season — in sport

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