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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. spell — magic
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. swing — to play on
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. spell — a short time
  10. swing — in golf
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bass — low music
  14. season — in sport
  15. band — a ring
  16. spell — letters
  17. bass — the fish
  18. cap — a hat
  19. saw — the tool
  20. swing — music
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. season — of the year
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cap — a lid

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