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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. key — the most important part
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bear — the animal
  10. band — a music group
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bear — the animal
  14. capital — money
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. key — in music
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. capital — a city
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. band — a ring
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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