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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 116 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. track — a path
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. lean — thin
  10. band — a ring
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. spring — the season
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. spring — of water
  16. scale — size or range
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. spring — a coil
  24. scale — in music

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