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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mug — to rob
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mug — a face
  9. swing — music
  10. mug — a cup
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. swing — to play on
  14. prune — to trim
  15. season — in sport
  16. band — a ring
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. prune — to trim
  19. band — a music group
  20. fall — to drop
  21. season — of the year
  22. fall — the season
  23. wind — moving air
  24. prune — the fruit

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