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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. saw — the tool
  3. swing — to play on
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. saw — the tool
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cue — a signal
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wind — moving air
  11. can — a tin
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. swing — music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. can — a tin
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — for pool
  23. swing — in golf
  24. can — to be able to

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