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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. spring — a coil
  7. toast — bread
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. board — a committee
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. spring — the season
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. board — to get on
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bark — to shout
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. shower — rain

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