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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · mark · mine · lie · pound · leaves · bark · saw

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. saw — the tool
  6. band — a music group
  7. bark — to shout
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pound — a weight
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. band — a ring
  16. mark — a trace
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. band — a rubber band

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