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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. ground — a position
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. ground — crushed
  10. pit — a hole
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. saw — the tool
  14. band — a music group
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. band — a ring
  22. pit — in a race
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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