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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. band — a music group
  4. spell — magic
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cue — a hint
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pound — a weight
  10. file — a tool
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. file — a document
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cue — for pool
  17. perch — the fish
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bear — the animal
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cue — a signal
  24. perch — for a bird

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