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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: chest · mouse · mark · band · spell · straw · present · fan

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. present — a gift
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. present — there
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spell — a short time
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. present — the time now
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. chest — of your body
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. spell — letters
  17. chest — a box
  18. spell — magic
  19. band — a music group
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mark — a trace
  23. band — a ring
  24. fan — a supporter

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