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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. band — a music group
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. face — to point toward
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. ground — crushed
  13. face — to confront
  14. bark — to shout
  15. season — in sport
  16. ground — a position
  17. band — a ring
  18. face — part of the head
  19. season — of the year
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. ground — the earth

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