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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. rock — music
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. drill — the tool
  7. rock — a stone
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. band — a ring
  11. wound — an injury
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. band — a music group
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. drill — army training
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. craft — a skill
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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