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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: bore · row · face · bark · band · cue · season · pass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. row — a line
  3. face — part of the head
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cue — a signal
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. band — a ring
  16. face — to confront
  17. season — in sport
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. cue — a hint
  21. season — of the year
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. band — a music group

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