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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rule — government
  8. mark — a trace
  9. hand — help
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. present — there
  12. band — a music group
  13. rule — a law
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mark — a grade
  17. lean — thin
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. present — the time now
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. band — a ring
  24. mark — to pay attention

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