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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. object — a thing
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. ground — the earth
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. band — a ring
  9. object — to protest
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. roll — a cake
  13. ground — crushed
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. spring — the season
  20. object — an aim
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. roll — a list
  24. ground — a position

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