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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. spring — the season
  3. ground — the earth
  4. vault — a safe
  5. spring — a coil
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. roll — a cake
  14. rush — hurry
  15. bark — to shout
  16. ground — a position
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. ground — crushed
  20. spring — of water
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. roll — a list

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