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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. drill — the tool
  5. band — a ring
  6. hand — in cards
  7. drill — army training
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bulb — for light
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mug — a face
  15. mug — to rob
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. hand — help
  20. bark — to shout
  21. net — for catching
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. drill — a practice

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