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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. band — a music group
  3. lean — thin
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. season — in sport
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. band — a ring
  11. suit — clothes
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bark — to shout
  17. snap — to click
  18. suit — to fit
  19. kid — child
  20. branch — a division
  21. kid — to tease
  22. season — of the year
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. lean — to bend

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