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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: present · roll · band · rest · rush · cold · mark · bark

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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. band — a ring
  4. roll — a list
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. cold — not warm
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bark — to shout
  15. roll — a cake
  16. rest — a break
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cold — an illness
  20. present — there
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. present — a gift
  23. band — a music group
  24. present — the time now

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