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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bass — low music
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bass — the fish
  7. key — the most important part
  8. press — to push
  9. key — for a lock
  10. net — for catching
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. key — in music
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. net — in sport
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a music group
  17. press — a publisher
  18. net — after costs
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fork — in a road

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