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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. spring — the season
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. track — a song
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bark — to shout
  8. spell — magic
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. spell — a short time
  12. track — to keep track
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — government
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. spring — of water
  19. stock — shares
  20. spell — letters
  21. stock — goods
  22. rock — music
  23. track — a path
  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