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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wound — an injury
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. band — a music group
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. band — a ring
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. roll — a list
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. roll — a cake
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. jam — in traffic

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