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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 124 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. hand — help
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stand — to bear
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. roll — a list
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. band — a music group
  19. bore — to tire
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. roll — a cake
  22. pop — music
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pop — soda

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