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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. spring — the season
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bank — of a river
  9. spring — of water
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bank — for money
  16. spell — letters
  17. bank — for money
  18. cue — a signal
  19. rash — a series
  20. cue — for pool
  21. spring — a coil
  22. last — final
  23. pit — in a race
  24. spell — magic

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