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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. band — a music group
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bark — to shout
  5. land — to come down
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. land — ground
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. land — a country
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. craft — boats
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. craft — a skill
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. court — for sport
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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