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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. spell — letters
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. wound — an injury
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bass — the fish
  12. spell — a short time
  13. band — a music group
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bark — to shout
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pit — a hole
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. spell — magic
  21. bass — low music
  22. band — a ring
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. band — a rubber band

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