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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. charge — in control
  5. squash — to crush
  6. charge — a price
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. squash — the sport
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rash — hasty
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. charge — electricity
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. squash — the vegetable

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