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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. band — a ring
  3. bark — to shout
  4. chip — for betting
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. lie — to recline
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pop — soda
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wake — a trail
  19. band — a music group
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pop — music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pop — to visit

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