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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. content — happy
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. prune — to trim
  10. content — the amount
  11. mug — a face
  12. tube — a container
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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