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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rash — a series
  4. band — a music group
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pop — to visit
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. clip — a video
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pop — soda
  13. can — to be able to
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pop — music
  16. rash — hasty
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — boats
  19. band — a ring
  20. can — a tin
  21. track — to keep track
  22. can — a tin
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. track — a path

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