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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stand — to bear
  3. charge — a price
  4. chest — of your body
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bark — to shout
  8. spring — of water
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. charge — in control
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. charge — electricity
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. ground — the earth
  23. chest — a box
  24. wind — moving air

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