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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. band — a music group
  3. wind — moving air
  4. band — a ring
  5. season — of the year
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. object — a thing
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cue — for pool
  13. land — a country
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. object — to protest
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — boats
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. cue — a signal
  21. object — an aim
  22. season — in sport
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wind — moving air

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