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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: roll · band · rest · trunk · fan · bay · rash · wound

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. rest — a break
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rash — a series
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. wound — an injury
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wound — an injury
  14. roll — a list
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rest — what's left
  17. band — a ring
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rest — what's left
  22. band — a music group
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. rash — on the skin

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