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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bank — for money
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bank — of a river
  8. chair — a leader
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. lie — to recline
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. field — for sport
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. field — a subject
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bank — for money
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. band — a music group
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. field — farmland

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