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

Word bank: chest · key · bear · toast · rule · band · bark · row

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. toast — bread
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. key — for a lock
  7. band — a music group
  8. key — in music
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. band — a ring
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. rule — a law
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bear — the animal
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rule — government
  23. chest — a box
  24. row — to paddle

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