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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. season — in sport
  3. land — ground
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. season — of the year
  12. club — for dancing
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spell — letters
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bark — to shout
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. land — a country
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for golf

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