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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mark — a trace
  3. club — a group
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. band — a ring
  9. staff — employees
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rash — a series
  12. club — for golf
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pop — soda
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rock — music
  22. club — for dancing
  23. band — a music group
  24. staff — employees

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