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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a music group
  5. club — a group
  6. shower — rain
  7. bear — the animal
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. club — for golf
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. can — to be able to
  12. roll — a list
  13. club — for dancing
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. shower — to wash
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. wound — an injury
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. can — a tin
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. can — a tin

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