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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. suit — to fit
  4. stem — to come from
  5. band — a music group
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. ball — a dance
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. suit — in cards
  16. ball — a great time
  17. suit — clothes
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chair — a leader
  22. band — a ring
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. temple — side of the head

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