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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. scale — size or range
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. spring — a coil
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. wind — moving air
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rule — government
  20. spring — of water
  21. scale — in music
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rule — a law
  24. wind — to turn a key

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