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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 116 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. spring — the season
  3. pop — music
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. current — electric
  6. spring — a coil
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pop — soda
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. current — of water
  11. band — a music group
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. object — to protest
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. current — happening now
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. spring — of water
  20. stand — to bear
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to bend

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