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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 120 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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. lean — thin
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. wake — a trail
  14. charge — a price
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pass — a permit
  18. band — a music group
  19. charge — in control
  20. ground — a position
  21. charge — electricity
  22. lean — to bend
  23. ground — the earth
  24. plane — an aircraft

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