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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 124 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mark — a grade
  7. race — a contest
  8. mark — a trace
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. prune — to trim
  12. drill — army training
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. band — a music group
  15. drill — a practice
  16. prune — to trim
  17. race — humankind
  18. drill — the tool
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. fork — a garden tool

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