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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bore — to tire
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. spring — of water
  6. chip — to eat
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. last — final
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bark — to shout
  12. last — finally
  13. bore — to drill
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. last — to go on
  21. chip — for betting
  22. spring — the season
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bear — to put up with

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