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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bound — certain
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. band — a ring
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bound — obliged
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. capital — money
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. pass — a permit
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. band — a music group
  23. bark — to shout
  24. band — a rubber band

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