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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 116 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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. last — finally
  5. bark — to shout
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. plane — a tool
  11. last — final
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. craft — a skill
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. last — to go on
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — government
  22. craft — boats
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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