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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. band — a ring
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. net — for catching
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. club — a group
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. suit — clothes
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. club — for golf
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. band — a music group
  20. net — after costs
  21. lean — thin
  22. net — in sport
  23. bark — to shout
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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