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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. mine — for digging
  9. capital — a city
  10. mug — a cup
  11. capital — money
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bound — obliged
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. row — a line
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. band — a ring
  21. bound — certain
  22. mug — a face
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. lash — to lash out

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