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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 120 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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. staff — employees
  4. capital — money
  5. clip — for paper
  6. suit — to fit
  7. staff — a stick
  8. suit — clothes
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. chip — for betting
  14. capital — a city
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. clip — a video
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. suit — in cards
  22. clip — to cut
  23. staff — employees
  24. band — a ring

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