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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. band — a music group
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. land — a country
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. snap — to click
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bear — the animal
  12. land — ground
  13. bark — to shout
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bear — the animal
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. land — to come down
  19. bore — to tire
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. band — a ring

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