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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wind — moving air
  7. band — a ring
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. band — a music group
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. lie — to recline
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bulb — for light
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wind — moving air

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