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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 120 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. net — in sport
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rule — a law
  10. spring — of water
  11. net — after costs
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. kick — in football
  14. net — for catching
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. season — of the year
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. season — in sport
  20. spring — the season
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. spring — a coil

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