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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mine — for digging
  3. spring — the season
  4. chest — a box
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. suit — to fit
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spring — of water
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. suit — in cards
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bark — to shout

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