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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bank — for money
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spring — the season
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. spring — a coil
  9. last — final
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bank — for money
  15. bear — the animal
  16. last — to go on
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. spring — of water
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bank — of a river
  22. last — finally
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bulb — of a plant

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