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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. club — for golf
  3. face — to point toward
  4. spring — the season
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. court — of law
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. spell — letters
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bark — to shout
  14. face — to confront
  15. court — for sport
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. spring — of water
  20. club — for dancing
  21. face — part of the head
  22. lie — to recline
  23. club — a group
  24. court — of a king

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