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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cell — a phone
  3. last — finally
  4. season — of the year
  5. bear — the animal
  6. season — in sport
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. last — to go on
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rest — what's left
  18. last — final
  19. rest — a break
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bore — to drill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. cell — in biology

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