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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · spring · mug · rush · bark · band · firm · tube

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rush — hurry
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. band — a ring
  6. object — an aim
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. firm — a company
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. band — a music group
  15. tube — the underground
  16. object — a thing
  17. firm — steady
  18. spring — the season
  19. firm — decided
  20. spring — of water
  21. tube — a container
  22. object — to protest
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — a cup

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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