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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. mine — for digging
  6. stock — shares
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bark — to shout
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. band — a ring
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stock — goods

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