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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. dip — to sink
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. march — the month
  9. last — to go on
  10. band — a music group
  11. clip — a video
  12. saw — the tool
  13. march — music
  14. last — finally
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. march — the month
  22. clip — to cut
  23. saw — the tool
  24. last — final

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