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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: rush · deal · season · band · plane · bark · drill · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. band — a music group
  12. cue — for pool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. season — of the year
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. band — a ring
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. plane — a tool
  24. rush — hurry

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