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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · kid · game · land · mug · trunk · rock · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. kid — child
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. land — to come down
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. land — ground
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. mug — to rob
  17. band — a music group
  18. rock — music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rock — a stone
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. land — a country
  24. mug — a face

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