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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cue — a signal
  3. band — a ring
  4. firm — a company
  5. bank — of a river
  6. firm — decided
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bark — to shout
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. band — a music group
  11. bank — for money
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cold — not warm
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. firm — steady
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bank — for money
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. game — a match
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cue — for pool

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