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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · key · trunk · wound · rash · bowl · pass · clip

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. clip — a video
  4. band — a ring
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. rash — a series
  11. band — a music group
  12. key — the most important part
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. key — in music
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pass — a permit
  21. key — for a lock
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. wound — an injury

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