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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. object — a thing
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. charge — electricity
  10. object — an aim
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. hand — help
  14. object — to protest
  15. bark — to shout
  16. charge — in control
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mug — a face
  21. charge — a price
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. hand — in cards
  24. band — a rubber band

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