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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 116 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. tube — the underground
  5. band — a music group
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. tube — a container
  8. band — a ring
  9. capital — a city
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rash — hasty
  16. lean — to bend
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rash — a series
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bark — to shout
  24. leaves — lets stay

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