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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. band — a music group
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bound — obliged
  9. can — a tin
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. can — to be able to
  13. spring — of water
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kid — child
  16. bound — certain
  17. spring — the season
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. can — a tin
  21. band — a ring
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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