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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mine — for digging
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. suit — to fit
  16. spring — of water
  17. chest — a box
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. suit — clothes
  24. suit — in cards

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