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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 120 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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bark — to shout
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. drill — a practice
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. lie — to recline
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. drill — army training
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. snap — to click
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — to hurry

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