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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · rash · chair · toast · racket · clip · bark · jam

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. toast — bread
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bark — to shout
  8. chair — a leader
  9. rash — a series
  10. band — a ring
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. clip — to cut
  13. band — a music group
  14. rash — hasty
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. clip — a video
  24. toast — the most admired

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