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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rock — a stone
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. date — the fruit
  20. rock — music
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. game — a match
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. temple — a place of worship

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