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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. bore — to drill
  4. court — of a king
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wake — a trail
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stem — to come from
  17. rush — hurry
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. scale — in music
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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