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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. land — to come down
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rush — hurry
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. land — a country
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rock — music
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. roll — a cake
  16. stem — to come from
  17. roll — a list
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — a stone
  21. saw — the tool
  22. land — ground
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. nail — for a hammer

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