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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rash — a series
  5. spring — the season
  6. rash — hasty
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. press — newspapers
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. spell — letters
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bark — to shout
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. press — to push
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. craft — boats
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. leaves — to go away

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