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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. object — a thing
  9. hand — help
  10. object — to protest
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. object — an aim
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bark — to shout
  16. band — a music group
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. safe — out of danger

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