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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bark — to shout
  4. drill — army training
  5. band — a music group
  6. cap — a lid
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. drill — the tool
  18. kick — in football
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. racket — a loud noise

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