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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. snap — to click
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. land — a country
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. land — to come down
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bark — to shout
  15. present — there
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. land — ground
  22. spring — of water
  23. present — a gift
  24. vault — a safe

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