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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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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. kick — in football
  3. band — a ring
  4. craft — a skill
  5. file — a line of people
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. file — a tool
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. pass — a permit
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. craft — boats
  15. spring — of water
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. file — a document
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. band — a music group
  24. wake — before a funeral

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