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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. rule — government
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. club — a group
  9. clip — a video
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. clip — to cut
  16. band — a ring
  17. club — for dancing
  18. band — a music group
  19. rule — a law
  20. clip — for paper
  21. club — for golf
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bowl — a football final

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