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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.

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: spring · bark · lie · fork · cap · spell · toast · bulb

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. spring — the season
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cap — a lid
  9. spell — letters
  10. cap — a hat
  11. spell — magic
  12. spring — of water
  13. toast — bread
  14. cap — of ice
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bark — to shout
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lie — to recline
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bark — of a tree

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