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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. suit — in cards
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. band — a ring
  7. clip — a video
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. mine — for digging
  11. suit — to fit
  12. bark — to shout
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. firm — steady
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. firm — decided
  19. band — a music group
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. firm — a company
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. clip — for paper

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