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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. can — a tin
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fall — the season
  7. cold — an illness
  8. band — a ring
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cold — not warm
  15. squash — the sport
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. band — a music group
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fall — to drop

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