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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. spring — a coil
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. spring — of water
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bark — to shout
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. hand — help
  21. spring — the season
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spell — letters
  24. hand — in cards

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