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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 124 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. spring — of water
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. firm — decided
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. firm — steady
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. degree — temperature
  9. spring — the season
  10. degree — from a university
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rule — government
  14. bark — to shout
  15. band — a ring
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rule — a law
  21. band — a music group
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. lie — to recline

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