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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. capital — money
  5. bark — to shout
  6. spell — magic
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. band — a ring
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mate — a friend
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. capital — a city
  18. rock — a stone
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mug — a face
  22. rock — music
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. band — a music group

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