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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: band · clip · hide · jam · mark · object · last · fan

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. object — to protest
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. last — to go on
  8. clip — for paper
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. last — final
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. clip — to cut
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — an aim
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. last — finally
  21. band — a music group
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. clip — a video
  24. band — a ring

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