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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bark — to shout
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. face — to point toward
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. cue — a signal
  10. band — a music group
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cue — a hint
  15. face — to confront
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cue — for pool
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. band — a ring
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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