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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. band — a music group
  4. suit — to fit
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. charge — a price
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. tube — the underground
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. charge — in control
  13. tube — a container
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. band — a ring
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. date — the fruit
  18. charge — electricity
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bark — to shout
  21. suit — in cards
  22. snap — to click
  23. suit — clothes
  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