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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: band · cell · last · bark · object · snap · rock · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. rock — a stone
  3. object — a thing
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. band — a ring
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. object — to protest
  8. bark — to shout
  9. last — finally
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. band — a music group
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. cell — in biology
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. rock — music
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. snap — to click
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. object — an aim
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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