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

Word bank: tear · bowl · chip · cell · snap · pop · band · trunk

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. tear — from crying
  3. band — a music group
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — music
  6. band — a ring
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cell — a phone
  11. tear — to rip
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. chip — to eat
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. chip — for betting

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