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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. clip — to cut
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rash — a series
  14. band — a ring
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. band — a music group
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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