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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. band — a music group
  4. court — of a king
  5. spring — the season
  6. court — for sport
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. spring — of water
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spring — a coil
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rash — hasty
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. band — a ring
  24. court — of law

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