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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cue — a hint
  4. spring — the season
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cue — a signal
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. spring — of water
  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