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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. band — a music group
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. race — a contest
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. band — a ring
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rock — music
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. squash — the sport
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. race — humankind
  18. squash — to crush
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wake — a trail
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. coach — a trainer

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