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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. charge — electricity
  5. firm — decided
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bark — to shout
  8. charge — a price
  9. firm — steady
  10. wake — a trail
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. firm — a company
  15. squash — the sport
  16. spell — letters
  17. band — a ring
  18. saw — the tool
  19. band — a music group
  20. charge — in control
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. spell — magic
  24. squash — to crush

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