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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. spell — magic
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bark — to shout
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. spell — letters
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. mine — for digging
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. ball — a dance
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. spell — a short time
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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