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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. tube — the underground
  4. band — a ring
  5. lean — thin
  6. scale — in music
  7. firm — steady
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. spell — letters
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. prune — to trim
  12. scale — size or range
  13. firm — decided
  14. lean — to bend
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cap — a lid
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. band — a music group
  19. tube — a container
  20. cap — a hat
  21. spell — a short time
  22. firm — a company
  23. cap — of ice
  24. spell — magic

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