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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: bark · wave · nail · chair · mate · band · key · leaves

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. band — a ring
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. band — a music group
  10. chair — a leader
  11. key — for a lock
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — to shout
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. mate — a partner
  19. key — in music
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. nail — for a hammer

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