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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. spell — a short time
  3. current — electric
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. court — for sport
  8. current — happening now
  9. bound — tied together
  10. spell — magic
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. court — of a king
  13. can — a tin
  14. current — of water
  15. can — a tin
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. can — to be able to
  21. spell — letters
  22. band — a music group
  23. court — of law
  24. temple — side of the head

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