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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rash — a series
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. band — a ring
  11. cap — of ice
  12. rash — hasty
  13. ball — a great time
  14. band — a music group
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cap — a hat

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