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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. face — part of the head
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. face — to point toward
  7. clip — a video
  8. spring — the season
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. face — to confront
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spring — of water
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. cap — of ice
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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