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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. snap — to click
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bulb — for light
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. drill — a practice
  10. charge — a price
  11. cold — an illness
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. face — to point toward
  16. drill — army training
  17. rest — what's left
  18. face — to confront
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. charge — in control
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cold — not warm

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