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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. march — the month
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. spring — the season
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. snap — to click
  12. ground — the earth
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. ground — crushed
  15. march — music
  16. ground — a position
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. march — the month
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. wake — a trail
  24. spring — a coil

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