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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. band — a ring
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spring — a coil
  5. current — happening now
  6. spring — the season
  7. plane — a tool
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. cue — a signal
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. hand — in cards
  14. cue — for pool
  15. current — electric
  16. cue — a hint
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. current — of water
  21. spring — of water
  22. band — a music group
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. hand — part of the body

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