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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bark — to shout
  3. band — a music group
  4. prune — to trim
  5. band — a ring
  6. face — to confront
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. prune — to trim
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. chip — to eat
  11. club — for golf
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. present — there
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. chip — for betting
  17. club — a group
  18. present — a gift
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. present — the time now
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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