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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — happening now
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. band — a ring
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. race — a contest
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. race — humankind
  23. current — electric
  24. current — of water

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