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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bank — of a river
  5. band — a ring
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rule — government
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. ground — a position
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitch — completely
  23. band — a music group
  24. rule — a law

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