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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. spring — a coil
  3. ground — the earth
  4. object — a thing
  5. squash — the sport
  6. spring — of water
  7. ground — a position
  8. object — an aim
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mine — for digging
  15. object — to protest
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spring — the season
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. saw — the tool

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