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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. spring — a coil
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bound — obliged
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. spring — the season
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bound — certain
  12. drill — a practice
  13. fine — all right
  14. bound — tied together
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. spring — of water
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bark — to shout
  24. dip — to sink

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