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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. spring — of water
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. last — final
  6. spring — the season
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. craft — boats
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. craft — a skill
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. last — to go on
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. last — finally
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. spring — a coil

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