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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 124 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pitch — completely
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rash — a series
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stem — to come from
  24. mine — for digging

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