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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — the tool
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. season — in sport
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bear — the animal
  17. season — of the year
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. band — a music group
  22. bear — the animal
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. drill — a practice

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