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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. suit — in cards
  3. band — a ring
  4. wound — an injury
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. club — for dancing
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. band — a music group
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mine — for digging
  19. suit — clothes
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. club — a group
  24. suit — to fit

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