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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cue — a hint
  6. face — to point toward
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. face — to confront
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. band — a ring

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