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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mark — a trace
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. craft — a skill
  18. band — a music group
  19. rock — music
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. craft — boats
  24. straw — a straw man

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