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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spring — a coil
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. rule — a law
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — the season
  15. row — a line
  16. bark — to shout
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. spring — of water
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rule — government
  23. stand — to bear
  24. leaves — lets stay

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