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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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. spring — the season
  11. prune — to trim
  12. current — happening now
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. last — final
  16. bark — to shout
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. spring — of water
  20. current — of water
  21. last — finally
  22. prune — to trim
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. current — electric

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