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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. object — an aim
  5. rest — what's left
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. object — a thing
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bound — certain
  19. rest — a break
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. object — to protest
  24. band — a ring

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