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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: saw · mine · spring · bear · bark · cue · drill · deal

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. spring — of water
  4. cue — a hint
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cue — for pool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spring — a coil
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. drill — a practice
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mine — for digging
  18. spring — the season
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bear — the animal
  23. drill — army training
  24. deal — a big deal

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