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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bound — obliged
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ball — a great time
  11. season — in sport
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bound — certain
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. spell — magic
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bound — tied together
  20. spell — a short time
  21. ball — a dance
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rush — hurry

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