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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. fall — the season
  3. snap — to click
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bore — to drill
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. band — a music group
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bore — to tire
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bark — to shout
  24. band — a ring

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