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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: present · rash · spring · bulb · land · wake · bark · coach

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. land — a country
  3. spring — of water
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. spring — a coil
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. present — there
  8. bulb — for light
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. land — to come down
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rash — hasty
  15. present — a gift
  16. rash — a series
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. spring — the season
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bulb — for light
  24. land — ground

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