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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mate — a friend
  3. spell — magic
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. mate — to breed
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mate — a partner
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bulb — for light
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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