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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bound — certain
  5. can — a tin
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. band — a ring
  16. bound — obliged
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bound — tied together
  20. object — a thing
  21. squash — to crush
  22. can — a tin
  23. band — a music group
  24. bark — to shout

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