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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. pound — a weight
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. spell — letters
  6. bark — to shout
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. spring — the season
  10. spell — magic
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. spring — of water
  19. stand — to bear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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