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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. ground — a position
  3. band — a music group
  4. bound — certain
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bound — obliged
  13. ground — crushed
  14. band — a ring
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bound — tied together
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bark — a dog's sound

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