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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. land — ground
  13. rest — a break
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. land — to come down
  20. spell — a short time
  21. land — a country
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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