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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spell — magic
  3. ground — a position
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. vault — a safe
  6. spell — letters
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. spell — a short time
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rest — what's left
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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