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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. staff — employees
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. charge — a price
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bear — the animal
  15. spell — magic
  16. charge — in control
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. staff — employees
  23. charge — electricity
  24. spell — letters

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