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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. plane — a tool
  14. spring — of water
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bore — to tire
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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