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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wound · spring · chair · rush · rock · bark · date · wind

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. date — the fruit
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bark — to shout
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. spring — of water
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. spring — the season
  15. rock — a stone
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rock — music
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. chair — a leader
  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