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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. chest — a box
  9. bark — to shout
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — bread
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. band — a ring
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. last — to go on
  17. band — a music group
  18. last — finally
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. chest — of your body
  21. last — final
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. chest — of your body

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