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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. present — a gift
  3. bark — to shout
  4. present — there
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. band — a ring
  8. ball — a dance
  9. present — the time now
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pop — soda
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ball — a great time
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pop — music
  24. rash — on the skin

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