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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. charge — a price
  3. band — a ring
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spring — the season
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. band — a music group
  16. spring — a coil
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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