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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. court — of a king
  3. bark — to shout
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bound — certain
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. prune — to trim
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chest — of your body
  13. band — a ring
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bound — obliged
  17. deal — to handle
  18. band — a music group
  19. court — of law
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. court — for sport
  22. chest — a box
  23. bound — tied together
  24. deal — an agreement

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