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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. band — a ring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. wound — an injury
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. spell — magic
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mine — for digging
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. band — a music group
  14. staff — employees
  15. rock — music
  16. spell — a short time
  17. staff — employees
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rock — a stone
  20. scale — size or range
  21. spell — letters
  22. scale — in music
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rock — to move gently

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