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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. date — the fruit
  3. band — a music group
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. court — for sport
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pound — a weight
  16. band — a ring
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. saw — the tool
  24. court — of a king

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