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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. mark — a grade
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bark — to shout
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. prune — to trim
  11. capital — money
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. spell — magic
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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