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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bark — to shout
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. band — a music group
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. band — a ring
  10. net — in sport
  11. object — a thing
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. object — an aim
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — for catching
  16. spring — the season
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. lie — to recline
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. object — to protest
  24. lie — an untruth

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