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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. snap — to click
  5. fine — all right
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bark — to shout
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bound — obliged
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bound — certain
  21. branch — a division
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bound — tied together
  24. fine — a penalty

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