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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rash — a series
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rash — hasty
  7. craft — boats
  8. cell — a phone
  9. craft — a skill
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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