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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. last — to go on
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. craft — boats
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bark — to shout
  9. last — final
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. clip — for paper
  12. face — part of the head
  13. craft — a skill
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. last — finally
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. clip — a video
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pound — a weight
  23. face — to confront
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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