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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. band — a ring
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. season — of the year
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. rock — a stone
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mug — a face
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bark — to shout
  21. band — a music group
  22. mug — a cup
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. mug — to rob

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