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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. sharp — clever
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. spell — a short time
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. ball — a great time
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. spell — magic
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. spell — letters
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. ball — a dance

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