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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bore — to tire
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — a series
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. suit — clothes
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. spring — of water
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. suit — to fit
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. shower — rain
  23. bore — to drill
  24. suit — in cards

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