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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. object — a thing
  3. rash — hasty
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. band — a ring
  7. object — an aim
  8. rash — a series
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. season — in sport
  16. key — for a lock
  17. object — to protest
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. prune — to trim
  20. band — a music group
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. season — of the year

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