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

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. spring — a coil
  3. last — finally
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bark — to shout
  7. last — final
  8. tube — a container
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — the season
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. last — to go on
  13. march — the month
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. can — to be able to
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. can — a tin
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. can — a tin
  24. rush — hurry

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