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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 120 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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. spring — the season
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. drill — the tool
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. spring — a coil
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spring — of water
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. object — to protest
  16. bark — to shout
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — a thing
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. drill — army training
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. drill — a practice

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