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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bore — to tire
  3. staff — employees
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. band — a ring
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spring — of water
  13. saw — the tool
  14. band — a music group
  15. season — in sport
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. spring — a coil
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. staff — a stick
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spring — the season
  23. staff — employees
  24. bore — to drill

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