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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bound — obliged
  3. spring — a coil
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bound — tied together
  6. last — final
  7. spring — the season
  8. bark — to shout
  9. perch — the fish
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. club — a group
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. spring — of water
  15. club — for golf
  16. bound — certain
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. last — to go on
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. club — for dancing
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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