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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. kid — to tease
  8. key — in music
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spring — the season
  16. key — for a lock
  17. spring — of water
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. kid — child
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bear — the animal
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bark — to shout

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