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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pop — to visit
  4. band — a ring
  5. bound — certain
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wound — an injury
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. dip — to sink
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wound — an injury
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bound — obliged
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. dip — a sauce

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