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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · can · clip · roll · sharp · wake · bear · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. sharp — clever
  3. roll — a cake
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. roll — a list
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. band — a ring
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. band — a music group
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. can — to be able to
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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