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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 124 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. band — a music group
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pop — soda
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. pop — music
  11. band — a ring
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. craft — boats
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. court — of law
  17. pit — in a race
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. craft — a skill
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. court — for sport
  22. pop — to visit
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. court — of a king

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