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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rest — what's left
  4. craft — a skill
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rush — hurry
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. rest — a break
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. board — to get on
  15. craft — boats
  16. board — a committee
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bark — to shout
  21. last — final
  22. cold — not warm
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. cold — an illness

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