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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. face — to point toward
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. toast — bread
  6. face — part of the head
  7. file — a tool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bark — to shout
  12. face — to confront
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. spring — the season
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bear — the animal
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. file — a document
  24. spring — of water

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