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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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. wave — with your hand
  4. firm — steady
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. firm — decided
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. firm — a company
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. band — a music group
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. dip — to sink

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