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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. charge — electricity
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. lean — to bend
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. spring — of water
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. charge — a price
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spring — the season
  18. bark — to shout
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. charge — in control
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. lean — thin
  24. bear — the animal

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