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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. present — a gift
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bark — to shout
  8. present — there
  9. rush — hurry
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. mug — a cup
  14. capital — money
  15. prune — to trim
  16. capital — a city
  17. squash — to crush
  18. mug — a face
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. prune — the fruit

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