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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: spring · lie · fine · bark · bear · ground · march · saw

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. spring — the season
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fine — high quality
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. march — the month
  18. spring — a coil
  19. lie — to recline
  20. march — music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. spring — of water

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