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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. ground — the earth
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. band — a music group
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mark — a trace
  16. roll — a list
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fork — in a road
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. foot — a measure
  24. row — a line

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