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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mate — to breed
  4. club — a group
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spring — the season
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. spring — of water
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mate — a partner
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. club — for golf
  19. bass — the fish
  20. mate — a friend
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bore — to drill
  23. fall — the season
  24. bore — to 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