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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. club — for dancing
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. firm — decided
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bound — tied together
  7. march — the month
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bark — to shout
  10. firm — steady
  11. tear — from crying
  12. club — for golf
  13. march — music
  14. bound — obliged
  15. staff — employees
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. tear — from crying
  18. club — a group
  19. firm — a company
  20. bound — certain
  21. staff — a stick
  22. band — a ring
  23. staff — employees
  24. band — a music group

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