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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: firm · band · tear · rule · fan · mug · bowl · bark

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bark — to shout
  6. band — a ring
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — steady
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rule — a law
  15. band — a music group
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. rule — government
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bowl — a football final

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