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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. season — of the year
  3. rock — music
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mine — for digging
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. kick — in football
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rock — a stone
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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