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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. roll — a list
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bound — tied together
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bound — obliged
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bound — certain
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. charge — in control
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. date — the fruit
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bass — low music
  21. charge — a price
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mark — a trace
  24. band — a music group

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