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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bark — to shout
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. present — a gift
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. present — the time now
  10. track — a path
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. track — a song
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. face — to confront
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. band — a ring
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cap — of ice
  21. present — there
  22. bore — to tire
  23. cap — a hat
  24. band — a music group

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