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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rest — a break
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mug — a cup
  8. shower — rain
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mug — to rob
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rest — what's left
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. present — a gift
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mug — a face
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. present — the time now
  22. rock — a stone
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rock — 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