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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 124 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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. shower — rain
  3. season — of the year
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. spring — a coil
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rush — hurry
  9. foot — a measure
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wound — an injury
  15. spring — the season
  16. shower — to wash
  17. spring — of water
  18. season — in sport
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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