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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fall — to drop
  8. board — to get on
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ground — the earth
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fall — the season
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. spring — the season
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ground — a position
  21. spring — of water
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. saw — the tool

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