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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pop — soda
  3. spell — letters
  4. shower — to wash
  5. spring — the season
  6. ball — a dance
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pop — music
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. spell — magic
  12. bear — the animal
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. band — a ring
  17. shower — rain
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spring — of water
  23. pop — to visit
  24. safe — a strongbox

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