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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. last — final
  4. firm — steady
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bore — to drill
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. firm — decided
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. firm — a company
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. last — to go on
  14. bass — low music
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. last — finally

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