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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rock — a stone
  5. season — of the year
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. spell — magic
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rock — music
  13. season — in sport
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. lean — to bend
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. spell — letters
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bark — to shout
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lean — thin

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