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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. drill — the tool
  4. season — of the year
  5. bark — to shout
  6. drill — a practice
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. suit — clothes
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. suit — to fit
  14. spring — of water
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. season — in sport
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. drill — army training
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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