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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. object — to protest
  3. band — a music group
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. band — a ring
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. key — in music
  9. object — an aim
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. foot — a measure
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. content — happy
  19. bark — to shout
  20. key — for a lock
  21. object — a thing
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. content — the amount
  24. lash — to lash out

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