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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. suit — in cards
  5. spring — a coil
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. suit — clothes
  12. field — farmland
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. field — a subject
  17. spring — the season
  18. bark — to shout
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. spring — of water
  23. rest — a break
  24. field — for sport

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