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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fall — to drop
  3. can — a tin
  4. fall — the season
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. mine — for digging
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. march — music
  11. can — a tin
  12. rest — what's left
  13. ball — a great time
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. march — the month
  18. rest — a break
  19. march — the month
  20. rest — what's left
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bark — to shout
  24. can — to be able to

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