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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: land · bark · rock · hand · wave · tear · band · roll

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. rock — a stone
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bark — to shout
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hand — help
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rock — music
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. tear — to rip
  12. band — a music group
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. roll — a cake
  15. land — to come down
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. band — a ring
  18. land — ground
  19. roll — a list
  20. tear — from crying
  21. land — a country
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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