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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rock — music
  8. face — part of the head
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bark — to shout
  12. face — to confront
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bulb — for light
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. bulb — for light
  18. jam — a tight spot

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