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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 116 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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. last — final
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. present — the time now
  5. spell — magic
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. last — finally
  9. staff — employees
  10. tube — a container
  11. staff — employees
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. spell — letters
  14. staff — a stick
  15. present — there
  16. band — a ring
  17. present — a gift
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. spell — a short time
  23. last — to go on
  24. band — a music group

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