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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mate — a friend
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. mate — to breed
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. ground — crushed
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. spring — the season
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rush — hurry
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. ground — a position
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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