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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bark — to shout
  5. clip — for paper
  6. band — a ring
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. clip — a video
  11. spell — magic
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rock — music
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. rock — a stone
  17. spell — letters
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. spell — a short time
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. fan — to cool the 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