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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. spring — the season
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. clip — for paper
  6. charge — a price
  7. clip — a video
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. spring — of water
  11. suit — in cards
  12. band — a music group
  13. suit — to fit
  14. charge — in control
  15. pit — a hole
  16. suit — clothes
  17. charge — electricity
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pit — in a race
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. spring — a coil
  22. band — a ring
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bear — the animal

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