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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. swing — to play on
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. deal — to handle
  9. capital — a city
  10. swing — music
  11. bear — the animal
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. band — a ring
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. swing — in golf
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bear — the animal
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. capital — money
  24. snap — to click

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