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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. net — for catching
  3. bark — to shout
  4. suit — to fit
  5. march — music
  6. spring — the season
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. suit — in cards
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. net — in sport
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. march — the month
  17. net — after costs
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. march — the month
  23. dip — to sink
  24. suit — clothes

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