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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. can — to be able to
  3. band — a music group
  4. field — a subject
  5. spell — magic
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. spell — letters
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. can — a tin
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — a container
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. field — farmland
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. field — for sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. spell — a short time
  24. prune — to trim

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