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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. vault — a safe
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bark — to shout
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. spell — letters
  16. season — in sport
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. tear — from crying
  22. season — of the year
  23. spell — magic
  24. fan — a supporter

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