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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 120 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. band — a ring
  7. snap — to click
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. band — a music group
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. scale — in music
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. pop — music
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pop — soda
  21. scale — size or range
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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