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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 116 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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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 · kid · pit · lie · band · bark · mouse · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. land — to come down
  6. wake — a trail
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pit — in a race
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pit — a hole
  11. band — a music group
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bark — to shout
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. land — ground
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. band — a ring
  22. kid — child
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. kid — to tease

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