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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. object — a thing
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — to protest
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bass — low music
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. band — a ring
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bass — the fish
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. band — a music group
  24. hide — to keep secret

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