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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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468
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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. spell — letters
  5. rash — a series
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rash — hasty
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. band — a music group
  12. bark — to shout
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. band — a ring
  15. spell — a short time
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. spell — magic
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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