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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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Word bank
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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wind — moving air
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bear — the animal
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. spell — magic
  14. drill — the tool
  15. spell — letters
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wind — moving air
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bear — the animal
  24. drill — army training

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