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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pop — music
  3. last — final
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bulb — for light
  13. last — to go on
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. spring — of water
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bulb — for light
  22. last — finally
  23. fall — the season
  24. tube — in a tire

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