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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spring — of water
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — a cake
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. spring — the season
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. toast — bread
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. face — to confront
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. face — part of the head
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. face — to point toward
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bark — to shout

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