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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. can — a tin
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. firm — steady
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. mine — for digging
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. band — a ring
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. firm — decided
  13. file — a tool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. can — to be able to
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. firm — a company
  22. can — a tin
  23. file — a document
  24. hide — to keep secret

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