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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: bark · spring · hand · land · fork · bulb · suit · mark

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. spring — a coil
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. land — a country
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fork — in a road
  10. suit — in cards
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bark — to shout
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. spring — the season
  16. mark — a trace
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. hand — help
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. suit — clothes
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bulb — of a plant

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