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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bark — to shout
  3. spring — the season
  4. rock — music
  5. mug — a cup
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. field — a subject
  8. tube — the underground
  9. field — for sport
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. field — farmland
  13. shower — to wash
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. tube — a container
  17. spring — of water
  18. rock — a stone
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a face
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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