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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bark — to shout
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fine — all right
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wake — a trail
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wind — moving air
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. spring — of water
  20. branch — a division
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. spring — the season

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