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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bark — to shout
  5. rock — music
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. prune — to trim
  11. swing — music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. band — a ring

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