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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bulb — for light
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bulb — for light
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. spring — of water
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. shower — rain
  12. season — of the year
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. lie — to recline
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bark — to shout
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. spring — the season
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bark — of a tree

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