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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. cue — a hint
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. fall — to drop
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. fall — the season
  9. cue — for pool
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. spring — a coil
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bark — to shout
  14. craft — a skill
  15. field — for sport
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. cue — a signal
  20. field — a subject
  21. craft — boats
  22. field — farmland
  23. fall — to drop
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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