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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. swing — in golf
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. swing — music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. band — a ring
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mark — a trace
  12. band — a music group
  13. mark — a grade
  14. craft — boats
  15. toast — bread
  16. spring — the season
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. spring — of water
  22. craft — a skill
  23. swing — to play on
  24. nail — for a hammer

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