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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. race — humankind
  8. pop — music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. band — a ring
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pop — to visit
  15. race — the arms race
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. band — a music group
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. race — a contest
  22. pop — soda
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mouse — the animal

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