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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. spring — of water
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. club — for golf
  9. scale — in music
  10. club — a group
  11. lie — to recline
  12. club — for dancing
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bark — to shout
  16. shower — rain
  17. spring — the season
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bear — the animal

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