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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. band — a ring
  7. land — to come down
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lean — thin
  10. spell — letters
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. land — a country
  13. bank — for money
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. land — ground
  17. bank — for money
  18. spell — magic
  19. band — a music group
  20. suit — clothes
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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