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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mug — a face
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pass — a permit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rash — a series
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mug — a cup

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