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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. cell — a phone
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. firm — a company
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. file — a line of people
  11. firm — decided
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. file — a tool
  15. craft — a skill
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. file — a document
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. firm — steady
  21. craft — boats
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pound — to hit hard

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