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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pop — soda
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spring — a coil
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pop — music
  9. spring — of water
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — the season
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fall — the season
  24. net — in sport

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