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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. object — an aim
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. capital — a city
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pit — in a race
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bulb — for light
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. object — to protest
  14. band — a ring
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. object — a thing
  23. capital — money
  24. wound — an injury

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