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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. band — a ring
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wind — moving air
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. scale — in music
  11. band — a music group
  12. bark — to shout
  13. firm — steady
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. stock — shares
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. firm — decided
  22. kick — in football
  23. scale — size or range
  24. stock — goods

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