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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bore — to tire
  4. face — to confront
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. club — for golf
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lie — to recline
  19. club — for dancing
  20. tube — the underground
  21. club — a group
  22. prune — to trim
  23. face — to point toward
  24. tube — a container

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