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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bore — to tire
  5. spell — letters
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. march — music
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. suit — to fit
  12. march — the month
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spell — magic
  19. bound — obliged
  20. march — the month
  21. spell — a short time
  22. suit — clothes
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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