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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. band — a ring
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. ground — a position
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. row — to paddle
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wax — to grow
  17. row — a line
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bark — to shout
  23. ground — crushed
  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