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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bark — to shout
  8. march — the month
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bear — the animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wound — an injury
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. march — music
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. can — a tin
  20. march — the month
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. can — to be able to
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bark — of a tree

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