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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. ground — crushed
  3. spring — of water
  4. ground — the earth
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rest — what's left
  9. ground — a position
  10. rock — music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rest — what's left
  16. content — the amount
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. content — happy
  20. rest — a break
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. spring — the season
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. rock — a stone

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