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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rest — what's left
  4. scale — size or range
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. scale — in music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. band — a ring
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rest — a break
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rest — what's left
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cell — in biology
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. band — a music group
  20. bat — the animal
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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