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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 dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. band — a music group
  7. bark — to shout
  8. court — of a king
  9. kid — child
  10. court — for sport
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. cue — a signal
  14. court — of law
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bear — the animal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. vault — a safe

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