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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. land — a country
  3. can — a tin
  4. spring — the season
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wake — a trail
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. can — a tin
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. can — to be able to
  14. land — ground
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. tear — to rip
  18. spring — of water
  19. ground — the earth
  20. land — to come down
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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