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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spell — a short time
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bass — low music
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. staff — a stick
  12. band — a ring
  13. row — a line
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. band — a music group
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bass — the fish
  21. fine — all right
  22. wound — an injury
  23. row — to paddle
  24. band — a rubber band

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