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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. spell — magic
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. face — to confront
  6. prune — to trim
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. prune — to trim
  9. suit — to fit
  10. spell — a short time
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — in cards
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bark — to shout
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. plane — a tool
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. mine — for digging
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. face — to point toward
  24. spell — letters

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