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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pop — music
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. spring — a coil
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rash — hasty
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pop — soda
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. lean — thin
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rash — a series
  24. lean — to bend

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