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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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. bark — of a tree
  4. craft — a skill
  5. net — for catching
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. net — after costs
  14. band — a music group
  15. pitch — completely
  16. staff — a stick
  17. net — in sport
  18. staff — employees
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. rest — what's left
  21. staff — employees
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. band — a rubber band

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