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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rule — a law
  3. mug — a face
  4. band — a music group
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mug — a cup
  7. rule — government
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pop — music
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rash — hasty
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. tube — a container
  17. stem — to come from
  18. band — a ring
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pop — soda
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rash — a series

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