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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 124 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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. spring — a coil
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. season — in sport
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. season — of the year
  12. clip — to cut
  13. spring — the season
  14. cue — a hint
  15. spring — of water
  16. deal — to handle
  17. clip — a video
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. band — a music group
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. clip — for paper
  24. deal — a big deal

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