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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rock — a stone
  4. season — in sport
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. season — of the year
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rock — music
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bark — to shout
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bore — to drill
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. rash — a series
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. swing — music

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