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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. file — a document
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bank — of a river
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fall — the season
  10. rush — hurry
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. file — a tool
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. band — a music group
  17. file — a line of people
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fall — to drop
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bank — for money
  22. band — a ring
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bank — for money

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