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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: band · fine · bark · foot · cue · leaves · bat · ball

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cue — a hint
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fine — high quality
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. foot — a measure
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. band — a music group
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. ball — a round shape

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