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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bound — certain
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. ground — a position
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. spell — magic
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bark — to shout
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bound — obliged
  14. spell — letters
  15. bound — tied together
  16. tube — a container
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fork — a garden tool

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