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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. perch — the fish
  5. lean — thin
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. band — a ring
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cold — not warm
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cold — an illness
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. club — a group
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. club — for golf
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. racket — for tennis

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