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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. spring — the season
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. ground — crushed
  10. spring — a coil
  11. ground — the earth
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. snap — to click
  14. spring — of water
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. present — there
  18. ground — a position
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. hide — animal skin

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