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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. spell — a short time
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. spell — letters
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — a cake
  8. cold — an illness
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — music
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. kid — child
  17. bark — to shout
  18. spell — magic
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cold — not warm
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. band — a music group
  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