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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: mug · band · straw · field · dip · ruler · hide · wound

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. dip — to sink
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. field — for sport
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. field — farmland
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. field — a subject
  12. mug — to rob
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wound — an injury
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. band — a music group
  17. wound — an injury
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mug — a face
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. band — a ring
  23. mug — a cup
  24. hide — to keep secret

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