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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
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: band · clip · bark · stand · chair · game · lie · ball

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bark — to shout
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. clip — to cut
  5. ball — a great time
  6. band — a music group
  7. ball — a dance
  8. clip — a video
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. stand — to bear
  11. chair — a leader
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. game — a match
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. band — a ring
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stand — on your feet

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