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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. key — the most important part
  3. cap — a hat
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. band — a ring
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. bark — to shout
  17. key — in music
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cap — a lid
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. squash — the sport
  23. key — for a lock
  24. wave — with your hand

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