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

Word bank: present · key · cell · spring · rash · band · deal · cue

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rash — a series
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cell — a phone
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. present — there
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cue — a signal
  12. present — a gift
  13. spring — a coil
  14. key — in music
  15. band — a ring
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. present — the time now
  18. rash — hasty
  19. spring — the season
  20. cue — a hint
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — the most important part
  23. cell — in biology
  24. spring — of water

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