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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  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 — of a tree
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. saw — the tool
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pass — a permit
  8. charge — a price
  9. field — farmland
  10. sharp — clever
  11. charge — electricity
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. field — for sport
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rash — a series
  18. charge — in control
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. field — a subject
  22. spring — a coil
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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