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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. race — the arms race
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. band — a music group
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bark — to shout
  10. race — humankind
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. band — a ring
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. sharp — clever
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. race — a contest

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