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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. last — to go on
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wind — moving air
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mark — a grade
  14. last — finally
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mark — a trace
  18. last — final
  19. mug — a face
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. tube — a container
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bark — to shout
  24. mug — to rob

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