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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. spring — of water
  4. bark — to shout
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. can — a tin
  9. spring — the season
  10. perch — the fish
  11. can — a tin
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chest — a box
  21. bulb — for light
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. perch — for a bird

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