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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cap — of ice
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. key — for a lock
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. cap — a hat
  15. shower — to wash
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bulb — for light
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. key — in music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. cap — a lid

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