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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. lean — to bend
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bass — the fish
  6. band — a music group
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. present — the time now
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bass — low music
  11. present — a gift
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bore — to drill
  16. shower — rain
  17. bore — to tire
  18. prune — to trim
  19. band — a ring
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. present — there
  24. lean — thin

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