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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 116 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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bank — of a river
  3. season — of the year
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rock — music
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rock — a stone
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. season — in sport
  13. bank — for money
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bank — for money
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. file — a line of people
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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