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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. face — to confront
  18. ground — crushed
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bulb — for light
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bowl — a dish

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