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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. club — for golf
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bark — to shout
  8. band — a ring
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. row — a line
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — to fit
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. row — to paddle
  21. club — a group
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. band — a music group
  24. bowl — to roll

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