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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. spring — the season
  7. rock — music
  8. staff — employees
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bark — to shout
  11. spring — of water
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. snap — to click
  18. rock — a stone
  19. staff — employees
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bulb — for light
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mouse — the animal

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