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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.

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: face · bark · cap · board · ball · band · snap · pitcher

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. cap — a lid
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bark — to shout
  5. board — to get on
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. ball — a dance
  9. snap — to click
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cap — of ice
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. band — a ring
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. ball — a great time
  17. cap — a hat
  18. face — to point toward
  19. band — a music group
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. face — to confront
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. board — a committee

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