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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. track — a song
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spring — a coil
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. track — a path
  10. land — ground
  11. charge — electricity
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. spring — the season
  16. land — to come down
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. charge — in control
  19. spring — of water
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. charge — a price
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. land — a country
  24. bark — to shout

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