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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pop — music
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pop — to visit
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pop — soda
  10. mug — to rob
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. tube — a container
  13. snap — to click
  14. band — a music group
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. mark — a trace
  17. foot — a measure
  18. mark — a grade
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. band — a ring
  22. mug — a face
  23. tube — the underground
  24. perch — for a bird

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