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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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Word bank
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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. snap — to click
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. capital — a city
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. perch — the fish
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. band — a ring
  22. capital — money
  23. band — a music group
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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