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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. race — the arms race
  4. spring — a coil
  5. march — the month
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — humankind
  8. band — a ring
  9. ground — the earth
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. ground — crushed
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. march — the month
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. march — music
  18. ground — a position
  19. vault — a safe
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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