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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wound — an injury
  4. club — a group
  5. spring — the season
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. club — for golf
  10. band — a music group
  11. vault — a safe
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — a price
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. spring — a coil
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. charge — in control
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. band — a ring
  22. wound — an injury
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. spring — of water

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