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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. face — to point toward
  3. can — a tin
  4. bark — to shout
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rush — hurry
  10. hand — help
  11. band — a music group
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pit — in a race
  14. can — a tin
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. face — to confront
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pit — a hole
  21. hand — in cards
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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