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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. fine — high quality
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. land — ground
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bass — the fish
  7. band — a music group
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. shower — to wash
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. land — to come down
  15. shower — rain
  16. band — a ring
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. fine — all right
  20. can — a tin
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. land — a country
  23. bass — low music
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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