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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. prune — to trim
  6. band — a ring
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. band — a music group
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. key — for a lock
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rest — a break
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. key — in music
  24. prune — to trim

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