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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 120 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bark — to shout
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. present — there
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. present — the time now
  10. swing — to play on
  11. present — a gift
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bound — certain
  14. season — of the year
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bound — tied together
  23. season — in sport
  24. swing — music

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