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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: wake · mouse · object · ball · band · straw · cell · bear

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wake — a trail
  7. object — a thing
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cell — a phone
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cell — in biology
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. object — to protest
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. object — an aim
  24. bear — the animal

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