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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. land — a country
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ball — a great time
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bark — to shout
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bulb — for light
  22. land — to come down
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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