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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: pit · spring · pop · mug · band · hand · face · rock

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rock — a stone
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. band — a ring
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pop — soda
  9. hand — help
  10. pop — music
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. mug — to rob
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rock — music
  16. spring — the season
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pop — to visit
  21. band — a music group
  22. spring — of water
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. pit — in a race

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