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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 120 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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. band — a music group
  5. shower — rain
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spring — a coil
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pass — a permit
  17. spring — of water
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. spring — the season

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