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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. track — a song
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. band — a ring
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bat — the animal
  17. foot — a measure
  18. track — a path
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bark — to shout
  22. track — to keep track
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bark — of a tree

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