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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bat — the animal
  3. object — to protest
  4. bank — for money
  5. object — an aim
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bank — for money
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. band — a music group
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. field — a subject
  24. bear — 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