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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bass — low music
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a face
  5. fork — in a road
  6. staff — employees
  7. band — a music group
  8. staff — employees
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. band — a ring
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. staff — a stick

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