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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mug — a cup
  4. row — a line
  5. club — a group
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bear — the animal
  8. club — for golf
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mug — to rob
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. band — a ring
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. band — a music group
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. field — farmland
  24. mug — a face

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