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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. swing — in golf
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. swing — music
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. deal — to handle
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. foot — a measure
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. swing — to play on
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fine — all right
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. fine — high quality
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. fine — a penalty

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