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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · last · bark · spring · clip · stick · rash · chair

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. present — the time now
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rash — hasty
  6. present — there
  7. clip — to cut
  8. chair — a leader
  9. spring — the season
  10. present — a gift
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. spring — of water
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. clip — a video
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. last — finally
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bark — to shout
  20. clip — for paper
  21. rash — a series
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — final
  24. chair — a professorship

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