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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. fine — all right
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. deal — to handle
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bark — to shout
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. spring — the season
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. snap — to click
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. deal — an agreement

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