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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. season — of the year
  3. swing — to play on
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ground — a position
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. swing — in golf
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. swing — music
  16. ground — the earth
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bark — to shout
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. season — in sport
  24. ground — crushed

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