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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. swing — music
  11. band — a music group
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bass — low music
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bass — the fish
  17. saw — the tool
  18. band — a ring
  19. tube — a container
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — to play on
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. tube — the underground

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