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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bark — to shout
  3. band — a music group
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bound — certain
  10. file — a tool
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pitch — completely
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. cap — of ice
  23. band — a ring
  24. file — a document

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