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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. spring — of water
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wax — to grow
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. swing — to play on
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bark — to shout
  12. craft — boats
  13. swing — music
  14. spring — the season
  15. craft — a skill
  16. ground — crushed
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. swing — in golf
  24. craft — a handicraft

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