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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. band — a music group
  3. spring — the season
  4. pop — to visit
  5. object — an aim
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. charge — in control
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pop — soda
  11. band — a ring
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. capital — a city
  14. charge — a price
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. object — to protest
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pop — music
  21. spring — of water
  22. object — a thing
  23. charge — electricity
  24. trunk — of a car

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