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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rock — a stone
  11. band — a music group
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. hand — help
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. branch — a division
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. band — a ring
  24. cap — a hat

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