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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. tube — a container
  6. lie — to recline
  7. tube — the underground
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. rule — a law
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. spell — a short time
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spell — letters
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. rule — government
  19. spring — the season
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. spell — magic

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