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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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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a music group
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. season — in sport
  7. rash — a series
  8. dip — to sink
  9. present — a gift
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. season — of the year
  13. present — the time now
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wake — a trail
  16. band — a ring
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. present — there
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wound — an injury
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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