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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. cap — a hat
  5. object — to protest
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bulb — for light
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. ground — crushed
  14. dip — to sink
  15. object — a thing
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. ground — a position
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bound — certain
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bark — to shout
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wound — an injury

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