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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pop — music
  6. present — a gift
  7. capital — a city
  8. firm — a company
  9. wake — a trail
  10. band — a ring
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pop — to visit
  14. present — there
  15. tube — the underground
  16. band — a music group
  17. pop — soda
  18. firm — decided
  19. present — the time now
  20. capital — money
  21. firm — steady
  22. tube — a container
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wake — before a funeral

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