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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 120 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. band — a ring
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. drill — the tool
  7. kid — child
  8. drill — army training
  9. cue — a hint
  10. foot — a measure
  11. drill — a practice
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cue — a signal
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. pop — to visit
  16. kid — to tease
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. band — a music group
  23. cue — for pool
  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