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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. drill — army training
  5. row — a line
  6. spring — the season
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bark — to shout
  10. spring — of water
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spring — a coil
  13. lean — to bend
  14. drill — the tool
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bound — certain
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bound — tied together
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bound — obliged

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