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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bark — to shout
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. perch — the fish
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. present — there
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. spring — of water
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. foot — a measure

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