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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wind — moving air
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fine — high quality
  7. staff — employees
  8. spell — letters
  9. staff — a stick
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. spell — magic
  14. fine — all right
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. ground — a position
  17. bass — the fish
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bass — low music
  21. staff — employees
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wind — moving air
  24. band — a music group

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