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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. band — a music group
  5. bark — to shout
  6. swing — to play on
  7. hand — help
  8. date — the fruit
  9. pound — a weight
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. band — a ring
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. can — a tin
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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