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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 116 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. field — a subject
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. pit — in a race
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. rock — music
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. rock — a stone
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wave — of the sea

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