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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cue — for pool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cue — a signal
  7. band — a ring
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. can — to be able to
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. race — the arms race
  13. can — a tin
  14. race — a contest
  15. season — in sport
  16. can — a tin
  17. race — humankind
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. season — of the year
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cue — a hint

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