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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. current — electric
  3. mug — a face
  4. object — a thing
  5. mug — to rob
  6. current — of water
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. band — a music group
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. mug — a cup
  12. hand — help
  13. object — to protest
  14. band — a ring
  15. current — happening now
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. court — for sport
  22. bark — to shout
  23. hand — in cards
  24. object — an aim

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