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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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. net — in sport
  5. wake — a trail
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. cap — of ice
  9. net — after costs
  10. cap — a lid
  11. band — a ring
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bore — to drill
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. band — a music group
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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