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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cue — for pool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. tear — to rip
  12. charge — in control
  13. rash — hasty
  14. tear — from crying
  15. band — a music group
  16. spell — magic
  17. bank — for money
  18. charge — electricity
  19. bank — for money
  20. band — a ring
  21. charge — a price
  22. rash — a series
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bank — of a river

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