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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bat — the animal
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. staff — employees
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. staff — a stick
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. band — a music group
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. staff — employees
  24. bat — for baseball

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