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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. chest — a box
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. perch — the fish
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wound — an injury
  23. band — a ring
  24. wound — an injury

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