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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. spring — a coil
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spring — the season
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. band — a music group
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. spring — of water
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. race — humankind

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