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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a music group
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bark — to shout
  8. squash — the sport
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. toast — bread
  11. last — to go on
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. last — final
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. band — a ring
  22. kid — child
  23. bulb — for light
  24. kid — to tease

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