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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bark — to shout
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. track — to keep track
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. track — a song
  8. dip — to sink
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. band — a ring
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. band — a music group
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. track — a path
  24. season — in sport

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