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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. shower — rain
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. band — a ring
  19. lean — thin
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. band — a music group
  24. shower — to wash

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