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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bank — of a river
  3. suit — to fit
  4. hand — in cards
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. plane — a tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pound — a weight
  11. suit — clothes
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — to cut
  15. suit — in cards
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bank — for money
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. hand — help
  21. bank — for money
  22. clip — for paper
  23. band — a ring
  24. racket — for tennis

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