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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. drill — army training
  10. rule — government
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. rule — a law
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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