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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: wake · bark · lie · cabinet · rush · band · board · spring

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bark — to shout
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. band — a ring
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. band — a music group
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. lie — to recline
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. spring — of water

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