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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 124 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. charge — electricity
  6. drill — the tool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. charge — in control
  15. bear — the animal
  16. charge — a price
  17. ground — a position
  18. bear — the animal
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. spring — the season
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ground — crushed
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. march — music

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