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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. chip — to eat
  9. race — the arms race
  10. band — a ring
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. race — humankind
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. chip — for betting
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rash — hasty
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. race — a contest
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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