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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. press — newspapers
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cold — an illness
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. club — a group
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. press — to push
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. club — for golf
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bark — to shout
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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