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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rule — a law
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. content — the amount
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. season — of the year
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. season — in sport
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. content — happy
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bulb — for light
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. leaves — lets stay

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