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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bark — to shout
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fall — the season
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fall — to drop
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fall — to drop
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rush — hurry
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rash — on the skin

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