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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. season — in sport
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. band — a music group
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. board — a committee
  16. kick — in football
  17. band — a ring
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. board — to get on
  23. season — of the year
  24. dip — a sauce

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