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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rush — hurry
  5. roll — a list
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. swing — music
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. season — of the year
  10. roll — a cake
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. season — in sport
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bark — to shout
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rush — to hurry

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