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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. bark — to shout
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. root — of a word
  7. track — a path
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bear — the animal
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. clip — a video
  17. track — a song
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — in control
  21. wake — a trail
  22. root — the cause
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. track — to keep track

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