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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bark — to shout
  4. band — a ring
  5. fall — to drop
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fall — the season
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. nail — for a hammer

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