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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. snap — to click
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. band — a ring
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bark — to shout
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. vault — a safe
  13. shower — rain
  14. pass — a permit
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. band — a music group
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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