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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.

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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: rock · dip · band · rush · season · lie · tube · bark

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rock — music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. rush — hurry
  10. season — in sport
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. band — a music group
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bark — to shout
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. dip — to sink
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. tube — a container
  21. lie — to recline
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. rock — a stone

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