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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 · stick · chair · rock · bark · nail · wave · field

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. field — farmland
  9. band — a music group
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. band — a ring
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. field — for sport
  15. bark — to shout
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. field — a subject
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. chair — a leader

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