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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. spell — letters
  3. spring — of water
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. firm — a company
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bark — to shout
  10. field — a subject
  11. wake — a trail
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spell — magic
  14. field — for sport
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. field — farmland
  21. spring — the season
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — steady
  24. spell — a short time

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