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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. land — a country
  3. bark — to shout
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. land — to come down
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. land — ground
  17. bound — certain
  18. rest — what's left
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. straw — a straw man

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