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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. present — the time now
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. present — a gift
  12. fall — the season
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — electricity
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spring — the season
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bark — to shout
  20. charge — in control
  21. fall — to drop
  22. present — there
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — an illness

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