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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
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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: spell · band · fan · rock · scale · snap · bark · cell

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. spell — magic
  4. rock — music
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. snap — to click
  8. scale — in music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rock — a stone
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. spell — letters
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a ring
  21. scale — size or range
  22. band — a music group
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. cell — a phone

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