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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. swing — in golf
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. band — a ring
  10. bulb — for light
  11. band — a music group
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bark — to shout
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. wind — moving air
  22. hand — help
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. swing — music

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