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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 · firm · cue · spell · bank · rest · bark · mine

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. firm — steady
  4. band — a music group
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spell — letters
  7. rest — a break
  8. band — a ring
  9. spell — magic
  10. bank — for money
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bank — for money
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cue — a signal
  19. firm — decided
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. spell — a short time
  24. firm — a company

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