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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — to play on
  6. last — finally
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. last — final
  14. spring — a coil
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bulb — for light
  17. swing — music
  18. spring — of water
  19. last — to go on
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. spring — the season
  24. arm — part of the body

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