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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 120 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: pop · snap · band · bark · arm · shower · suit · board

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. suit — in cards
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — music
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. band — a music group
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. suit — clothes
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. shower — to wash
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bark — to shout
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. shower — rain
  21. pop — soda
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. board — to get on
  24. snap — to click

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