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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wound — an injury
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rock — music
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rock — a stone
  9. last — final
  10. ball — a dance
  11. last — to go on
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. spring — a coil
  15. last — finally
  16. date — the fruit
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bark — to shout
  19. ball — a great time
  20. spring — the season
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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