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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. ball — a great time
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. spring — a coil
  14. can — to be able to
  15. spring — of water
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chair — a leader
  20. ball — a dance
  21. spring — the season
  22. rash — a series
  23. bark — to shout
  24. rash — hasty

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